


Almost Lover

by GreyMichaela



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Mutual Pining, Road Trips, these two idiots I swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-22 17:54:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2516657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyMichaela/pseuds/GreyMichaela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel needs a date to his brother's wedding.  Sam obliges.  Roadtrips, stripping, body shots and pining occur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nahemaraxe (zephyrina)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zephyrina/gifts).



> Now with incredible fan art by [the amazing XXforgotten](http://xxforgotten.tumblr.com). Isn't this gorgeous?
> 
> [](http://imgur.com/1kI5mgg)

Sam was drunk.  And for once in his life, he didn’t care.  He was _done._   Fuck the world, fuck everything.

He stumbled down the street, pushing his hair out of his eyes and pausing to steady himself on the wrought iron fence outside his apartment building. The world was spinning. He waited for it to stop, clenching his teeth as his stomach heaved.

Finally, the pavement stopped bucking beneath him and he staggered up the steps to the front door.  It took him several long moments to remember the code and several more to punch it in correctly.

Eventually, though, he was through the door and climbing the stairs to his apartment. He loved this old building, with its narrow staircase and high ceilings, but right now the hallway seemed endless and his door a mile away.

Of course, once he reached that door, his key didn’t want to work.  Sam groaned and rested his forehead against the wood. The locks were ancient and probably hadn’t been changed since before Sam was born, and on a good day it could take quite a bit of cajoling to get it to open.  This…was not a good day.

Sam jiggled the key again, despairing.  He was in no shape to call a locksmith, dammit.  Just then the lock gave and Sam was in, breathing a sigh of relief. He tripped over a pair of shoes that he didn’t remember leaving out on his way through the living room and nearly fell over a chair that had somehow moved from its position by the wall.

Sam stood still and considered his options.  He could navigate the obstacle course/warzone that his apartment had become in the time that he’d been out getting completely and thoroughly trashed, or he could sleep on the sofa that was miraculously still where it was supposed to be, under the huge bay window.

Sofa it was. Sam wove towards it unsteadily and collapsed into its soft cushions, groaning a little.  He kicked off his shoes and rolled over, pressing his face into the pillow and sliding over the edge into oblivion.

 

He woke to a thousand nails being driven into his skull from all directions. Groaning, Sam sat up, blanket falling to his waist as he clutched at his head. 

“Oh Jesus,” he whimpered.  “Why?”

“I’ve been asking myself that same question,” an amused voice said from his right, and Sam fell off the sofa in shock.

He scrambled backward on his butt, putting distance between him and the _strange man in his apartment, where was his phone, shit fuck he needed to call the cops._

The man was still speaking and what he was saying finally began to filter through Sam’s awareness.  “Of course, I also asked myself ‘how’, and there were a few instances of ‘what the fuck is he doing here’ thrown in for variety.”

“What am _I_ doing here? I live here!” Sam sputtered. Oh _God,_ his head hurt so badly.  The man sitting in the chair cocked his head and smiled at him.

“Are you sure about that?” he said.  “I mean, really, really sure?  Stake your life and reputation and Netflix account on it?”

Sam stared at him.  Why did he look so familiar? He wasn’t much to look at, not at first glance.  Chestnut brown hair swept off a high forehead, brown eyes alight with what looked like _amusement_ , a clever mouth quirking up at the corners…whoever he was, clearly he thought this was funny.

“This is breaking and entering,” Sam said carefully, trying to keep his voice steady. His stomach was churning from the pain in his head.

“Aw, you stepped on my line,” the man said, grinning outright.

Something wasn’t right here.  Something was, in fact, very wrong.

Sam pushed himself to his feet and took a look around.  The floor plan was what he expected; high ceilings, open layout with a small kitchen off to his left, huge windows to his right, but the furniture was in the wrong places, the curtains weren’t the right color, and…

“This isn’t my apartment,” Sam whispered.

The man pretended to applaud.  “Well done!” he said.

“I’m going to throw up now,” Sam managed, and bolted for the bathroom.

He skidded into the small room that was thankfully in the exact same place as it was in his apartment and collapsed onto his knees, retching into the toilet bowl.

The movement drove the spikes in his head even deeper, and Sam made a small helpless noise as he clutched the toilet and vomited over and over.

His stomach finally empty, Sam clung to the porcelain and considered the merits of hara kiri.  Sadly, he’d left his samurai sword back in his actual apartment, which meant he was going to have to go out there and face the owner of this one and somehow, _somehow,_ apologize for breaking in and making free with his furniture.

He clambered to his feet and flushed the toilet, washing his hands and rinsing out his mouth.  It wasn’t until he was washing his face that he realized he was stalling and forced himself to straighten and leave the bathroom.

The first thing he smelled was coffee.  Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  It was a good, dark roast, too, and Sam’s mouth was suddenly watering.

His neighbor looked up from the stove and smiled at him.  “Coffee’s almost done.  Pull up a stool at the bar.”

Sam stared at him.  “Thanks, but, um…I should go. I think I’ve done enough damage for one day.”

The man rolled his eyes and flipped the egg in the skillet.  “You break my lock, scuff my floors, borrow my couch for the night and then leave without even a cup of coffee?  Where’s the love, kiddo?”

“I, uh…” Sam floundered for words.  Oh God, this was _horrifying_.

The man pointed at the stool.  “Sit. How do you take your coffee?”

Helplessly, Sam sat.  “Cream, no sugar,” he managed.

“Coming right up!  I’m Gabriel Novak, by the way.”

Gabriel slid the egg onto a plate and cracked another into the skillet to sizzle while he poured Sam a cup of coffee and set it and a jug of cream on the counter next to him.

“Thank you,” Sam muttered.  “I’m…Sam.”

“Do you eat eggs and bacon, Sam?” Gabriel asked over his shoulder as he tended the next egg.

“I eat just about anything,” Sam admitted, “and bacon is usually at the top of my list.”

Gabriel shot him a grin.  “Man after my own heart.”

“But right now I’ll probably throw up all over you if I try to eat anything,” Sam continued.

Gabriel held up a finger and headed for the bathroom.  He was back in a minute with a huge bottle of aspirin and a glass of water. “You need to hydrate. That’s the biggest part of your hangover right now.”

Sam took the aspirin gratefully, draining the glass of water and then concentrating on his coffee, adding cream and taking a sip.  He let out an involuntary moan when it hit his tastebuds. “ _Jesus,_ this is amazing,” he said.  “What is it?”

“Jamaican Blue Mountain,” Gabriel said.  He cocked a hip against the counter and regarded Sam.  “So tell me, kiddo, do you make it a habit to break into your neighbors’ apartments after you’ve been out on a tear?”

Sam winced. “I’ll buy you new locks,” he said weakly.  “I really am sorry.”

Gabriel waved this off.  “I’m not worried about that. I’m just curious. I’ve lived here a year and barely even seen you before today.  You’re the quietest neighbor I’ve ever had.  Are you turning over a new leaf?”

Sam shook his head and regretted it immediately.  “No,” he said, willing the nausea away.  “I’m pretty sure I’ve never been that drunk before.  Not even in college.”

Gabriel tilted his head.  There was sympathy on his face.  “Ex?”

Sam looked at the counter.  “Someone close to me…she used to be close to me, at least…she died a couple days ago. I ran into her best friend at the bar.”

“Shit,” Gabriel muttered.  “That sucks.”

“I thought she was the one,” Sam told the counter, clutching his cup. “I was going to propose. Had the ring picked out and everything.”

“What happened?” Gabriel asked.

Sam lifted a shoulder.  “She found out I’m bi.”

“And she broke up with you for _that?_ ” Gabriel demanded.  “That’s…that’s ridiculous!”

“She couldn’t handle it.  Said she was afraid I was going to leave her for a hot guy, that she didn’t want the competition.”

Gabriel snorted.  “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.  Did you explain to her that she should’ve taken it as even more of a compliment; that you chose _her_ out of twice the options available?”

“I tried,” Sam said.  “But she wouldn’t listen. I came home from work one day and all her stuff was just…gone.”

“Damn, that’s cold,” Gabriel said.  “How long ago was this?”

“Six months. I keep thinking I’m over it, over _her_ , and then I saw Madison last night and…” Sam shrugged, telling himself it didn’t hurt every bit as much now as it had then.  “She was in a car wreck. Someone blew a red light. I know…I’d already accepted that we weren’t getting back together, but…anyway, I decided a night of forgetting was just the ticket.”

Gabriel’s hand on his shoulder startled him into looking up.

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel said gently.  Sam just looked at him, fighting back the tears that wanted to well up and Gabriel coughed and pulled away, turning to the coffeepot.  “Need a refill?” he asked over his shoulder.

“I…no,” Sam said.  “Thanks, but…I really should go.”

Gabriel turned back around to face him.  “Well, Sam, it was nice, if very unorthodox, to meet you.  Don’t be a stranger now, okay?”

Sam smiled at him and stood up.  “I really will make it up to you,” he said.  “Thanks for the coffee.  And…for listening.”

Gabriel tilted his head back and smiled up at him.  “Any time, kiddo.”

Sam was halfway to the door when a thought struck him and he turned back. “Did you…did you put a blanket on me in the night?”

Gabriel shrugged, suddenly looking diffident.  “You were curled up in a ball, shivering.  Couldn’t have that.”

Sam snorted a laugh.  “Well…thanks again.”

 

Safely back in his own apartment, Sam padded into his bedroom and collapsed onto his bed with a muffled groan.  _Way to go, Winchester.  Fantastic first impression on the cute guy down the hall._ He pulled a pillow over his head and fell asleep, praying the hangover would go away soon so he could begin to figure out how to make it up to Gabriel.

 

**GABRIEL**

Gabriel ate breakfast alone, as he usually did.  He read the morning mail and drank his coffee and wiped up the egg yolk with his toast and the whole time he was thinking about the gorgeous man that he’d discovered on his couch when he’d woken up.  He’d recognized him immediately, of course. It was true that Sam was very quiet and kept to himself, but you’d have to be blind not to notice someone like Sam fucking Winchester living right next door to you, with his long legs and broad shoulders and those incredible hands and lovely smile that almost never made an appearance but was all the more breathtaking for its rarity.

Gabriel didn’t register the handwriting on the envelope in his hand until he’d opened it and was pulling out the creamy cardstock.  Gorgeous calligraphy spelled out Michael’s name at the top and Gabriel groaned. _No, no, a thousand times_ no, _dammit._ Michael was getting married at last.

He opened the card and a small note fell out.  Gabriel recognized his mother’s neat, contained script, so indicative of the woman herself, and braced himself before reading it.

_Dear Gabriel,_

_Please note the date. I am sorry for the short notice, but this was the only available time for both families, and things have moved quickly. I tried to call you but you didn’t answer your phone._

_Gabriel, remember to bring your boyfriend. Michael’s fiancée is adamant that his family is represented properly and there are no “third wheels”, as she termed it. It is imperative that she be kept happy. Besides, we are all anxious to meet him, after you’ve told us so much about him._

_We look forward to seeing you again._

_Love,_

_Mother_

Gabriel dropped his head into his hands and groaned.  This was so much worse.  Gabriel hadn’t dated anyone in almost a year.  He had no friends, almost never left his apartment except for commissions and groceries.  He had no prospects, not even someone he could _pretend_ was his partner.

Sam’s voice echoed through his mind.  _I really will make it up to you._

Gabriel sat up straight.  No, it was stupid. He slumped again. He couldn’t.

He glanced at the invitation, then at the calendar on the wall and rubbed his face. _Shit._ Before he could change his mind, he was out of the apartment, down the hall and knocking on Sam’s door.

There was no answer, and Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief.  Well, he’d tried.  He turned and headed back for the safety of his place.

“Gabriel?”

Gabriel froze mid-step and swiveled around.  Sam was peering out the door, his hair on end and eyes sleepy.

“Ah…” Gabriel said, giving him an uncertain smile.  “Hi.”

Sam stepped out into the hall, stretching and yawning.  “Everything okay?”

“I, um…yeah,” Gabriel said, distracted by the peek of smooth skin that showed when Sam’s shirt rode up.  He shook himself. “I had a question, but it was stupid. I’m sorry I woke you. Is your head any better?”

Sam gave him a slow smile.  “Much, thank you. What was your question?”

Gabriel dithered.  Oh God, what had he been thinking?  This was the stupidest thing he’d ever done, and he’d done some colossally stupid things in his day.

Sam took a step closer.  Concern was growing on his face.  “Gabe, talk to me.”

_Gabe?  No one ever called him that._

Gabriel took a deep breath.  “My brother’s getting married in two weeks and you said you’d make it up to me for breaking my lock and I have to bring a date to the wedding and I’m sorry it was stupid I can’t believe I said anything just forget it okay?”  He spun to go and Sam caught his arm.

“Wait, _whoa,”_ Sam said, looking poleaxed. “What the hell are you talking about? A date?  A wedding?  _What?_ ”

Gabriel sighed.  “My brother’s getting married,” he said, pronouncing each word slowly.  “I am under orders to bring a date.  In two weeks.  Three states away.”

Sam’s forehead wrinkled.  “Are you…asking me to be your date?”

“You said you’d make it up to me…” Gabriel said, and wilted.  “God, I’m sorry, this was the most incredibly stupid -”

“I didn’t say no,” Sam interrupted.

Gabriel blinked up at him, and Sam shrugged, smiling.

“I’ve got some vacation time accrued,” he said.  “I like you.  Is your family okay with the whole… _not_ hetero thing?”

“Yeah,” Gabriel said absently, still staring at him.  “They don’t care about that.  But Sam, I haven’t told you everything.”

Sam looked puzzled.  “Okay…”

Gabriel took another deep breath.  “I might have told them I was dating someone already.  Someone serious.  _That’s_ who they’re expecting me to bring.”

Sam’s eyes widened.

“They wouldn’t get off my case!” Gabriel said defensively.  “And I was on the phone to my mother and she was _hounding_ me, God, the woman is a pit bull when it comes to me and a significant other, and I was looking out the window and you were walking up the street and I might have...used your physical description when I told her I had a boyfriend.”

Sam’s mouth fell open.  “You told your mother you were dating _me?_ ”

“No!” Gabriel said.  “Just…someone…that…looks like you?”  He cringed. Deepest, darkest Africa was sounding really good right now.  Build a grass hut, never enter civilization again.

Sam started laughing and Gabriel jerked upright, shocked.  That was _not_...

“Sam?”

Sam held up a hand and Gabriel subsided, watching as Sam wrapped his long arms around his torso and wheezed with laughter.

Finally the giggles began to subside and Sam wiped his streaming eyes. “Damn, Gabe, until this morning I thought _I_ was the world champion at putting my foot in things.  But _you…_ ” He dissolved into a laughing fit again and Gabriel sighed.

“Message received,” he said with great dignity, and stalked away. He was almost to his door when Sam caught him.

“I didn’t say no!” Sam repeated.  “You just have to give me a minute to process the fact that you’ve basically built this entire lie based on me and I had _no idea_ this entire time and now you want me to go with you to visit your family and pretend we actually _are_ together, my God, Gabriel, you’re insane and I’ll do it.”

“Fine,” Gabriel said, and pulled away.  “Thanks anyway – wait, _what?”_

Sam grinned at him.  “I said I’ll do it. When do we leave?”

“But…”

“When do we leave?” Sam repeated.

“Um…a week,” Gabriel said helplessly.  “I have to drive and we should be there a couple of days before the wedding. Is that…okay?”

“As long as I fit in your car,” Sam said.  “I have to call work and make sure I have the time off.  How long will we be gone?”

“Three days out, taking it easy, a week there, three days back.  Call it two weeks,” Gabriel said.

“You sure you’re willing to put up with me for that long?” Sam asked. Amusement danced in his green eyes.

Gabriel was beginning to recover a little of his composure.  “Dude, for this, I’d put up with you for twice as long,” he said.

“Well then,” Sam said, and winked at him.  “I guess I should go put together a list of things I need to pack. What kind of activities will there be?”

“Um…formalwear, obviously. It’s in the mountains, so it’s going to be cold.  Pack warm. They’ll take us rock-climbing, maybe horseback riding, hiking for sure.”

“Sounds fun,” Sam said.  “I’ll go pull my winter stuff out of storage.  I was about to do that anyway.”

“Sam,” Gabriel said.  “Are you…sure?”

Sam shrugged. “It sounds like fun,” he repeated. “Two weeks away from this place? Hiking, rock-climbing, mountains, all – or most, anyway – expenses paid, right?  I’d be stupid to pass that up.”

“I’ll pay _all_ your expenses,” Gabriel hastened to assure him.

“There you go,” Sam said, grinning.  “I have to go put things in motion on my end, let my boss know.  Catch you later, yeah?”

With that, he was gone, and Gabriel found himself stumbling back into his apartment, head spinning. He closed the door and leaned against it.

_What the hell had he just done?_

He spent the week leading up to their departure in a welter of nerves, jumping every time his phone rang, but despite his half-formed conviction, Sam never called him to cancel at the last minute, despite that being the _sane_ thing to do.

When Sam knocked on Gabriel’s door the night before, Gabriel took a deep breath and opened it prepared for Sam to tell him he wasn’t going to be able to go after all.

Instead Sam just smiled at him, that stupid-long brown hair of his falling into his stupid-attractive face, and said, “I’m going to the store for a few last minute things.  Need anything? Or do you wanna come with?”

“I…” Gabriel floundered for a moment before dragging his brain back online. “Yeah, I need shaving cream. I’ll come with you, if you don’t mind.”

“So how was your day?” Sam asked as he waited for Gabriel to gather up his keys and wallet.

“Uneventful,” Gabriel said, shrugging.  “Mostly spent packing.  You?”

Sam made a face and stepped back so Gabriel could lock the door. “I had to deal with a total asshole at work today.”

Gabriel made an interrogative noise as they clattered down the steps to the front door.

“He spent the first ten minutes telling me just how much he hated our company, and wouldn’t even tell me why he was calling.  Dude, you hate us so bad, why not go with our competitor?”

Gabriel held the door, nodding in agreement.

“So I finally manage to get a word in edgewise and ask him to change the batteries in his remote.  He spent another five minutes telling me it _wasn’t_ the batteries, and I was a moron who didn’t know anything.”

“And was it the batteries?” Gabriel asked.

“Of course,” Sam said, snorting with amusement.  “He put them in, said, ‘Oh. It’s working now.” And hung up on me.”

“Nice,” Gabriel said.

“Right?” Sam said.  “And of course _my_ call-time is what suffers.”

They headed out into the dusk and Sam sniffed the crisp, cool air appreciatively. “I love fall,” he said as if confiding a secret.  “Part of the reason I even said yes to this is because if there’s one thing I love more than fall, it’s fall in the mountains.  I can’t wait.”

Gabriel smiled up at him.  Sam’s enthusiasm was infectious.  “Just wait until you meet my family,” Gabriel warned.  “You may change your mind on that.”

“Nah,” Sam said, bouncing on his toes.  “I’ll never change my mind on fall being awesome.” 

They separated at the front of the grocery store and Gabriel picked up his shaving cream and some suitable junk food for the trip before heading for the produce section. He’d seen Sam eating fruit on more than one occasion, and if the young man had never had a Honeycrisp, Gabriel was determined to rectify the situation.

Sam was waiting for him when Gabriel finished paying, still smiling.

“Are you always this cheerful?” Gabriel asked as they headed for home.

“What’s not to be happy about?” Sam asked.  “Roadtrip, which I _love_. Mountains and fall. A companion who seems pretty damn cool. Show me the downside here.”

“My family,” Gabriel pointed out, his tone dry, and Sam laughed.

“I can handle ‘em.”

“I’m sure you can,” Gabriel agreed.  “All you’ll have to do is make those puppy eyes at them and they’ll be putty in your hands.”

“Puppy eyes?” Sam asked.  “What the hell are you talking about?”

It was Gabriel’s turn to laugh.  “Dude. You make the most adorable faces when you’re unhappy.  When you were hungover and sitting at my kitchen counter all miserable, it was all I could do not to wrap you in a blanket and pour hot cocoa down your throat. I’m just saying; bat your eyes at my family and they’ll be eating out of your hand.”

Sam was staring at him and Gabriel stumbled.  “What?” he said defensively.

“Nothing,” Sam said.  “So tell me about your family.  Or do you want to save that for the trip?”

“Might as well get started now,” Gabriel decided.  “There’re enough of them that you may need a crib sheet to keep them all straight.”

He dodged an elderly woman out taking her dog for a walk.

“Michael’s the oldest.  He’s the one getting married.  He’s kind of a self-righteous douche but I think his heart’s in the right place. Mostly.  He’d be a lot more bearable if his head wasn’t lodged firmly up his ass.”

The elderly woman shot him a scandalized glare and Gabriel gave her an apologetic smile.

“Anna’s my older sister, and she’s pretty cool, mostly, unless Michael’s got her riled up about something.  When she’s on one of her crusades she can get pretty unbearable.  Hopefully she’ll be between causes while we’re there.”

“And you?” Sam asked.  “What do you do?”

“As little as possible, mostly,” Gabriel admitted.

“Nice work if you can get it,” Sam said, grinning.

Gabriel smiled back as they climbed the steps to the front door and Sam held it open for him.

“I’m actually a sculptor,” he said. 

“No shit?” Sam said, impressed.  “Can you make a good living at that?” He blushed bright red as Gabriel laughed. “Shit, that was rude, I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” Gabriel said, waving his free hand.  “Obviously I’m not rich, or I wouldn’t be living here, but I do okay for myself.”

“Would I have seen your work anywhere?” Sam asked.  “Or is it in, like, museums or something?”

Museums. Dear God, this kid was adorable and he had no idea.  Gabriel hid his smile as he fumbled for his keys.

“One of my pieces is down on Main Street in the library,” he said, fitting the key in the lock and struggling to turn it.  “It’s the hummingbird; I don’t know if you go down that way at all. A bunch of others are displayed in a couple of galleries around town, since they’re for sale.”

“ _You_ made the hummingbird?” Sam demanded.  He followed Gabriel into his apartment in his excitement.  “Oh my God, I _love_ that piece! It’s gorgeous!”

Gabriel couldn’t help his smile.  “Yeah, that was me. Took a solid month of welding all those damn bits of metal together for the frame to hold the stained glass, but the city loved it.”

“As they should!” Sam said.  “I can’t believe you made that.  I’ve been living next door to you all this time and I never knew!”

Gabriel set his bags in the kitchen and began pulling items out.

Sam jumped, seeming to realize for the first time that he was standing in the middle of Gabriel’s apartment.  “Um…what time tomorrow do you want to leave?”

“Bright and early,” Gabriel said, rummaging in his cupboards for plastic bags. “I want to get as much time on the road under our belt as possible, avoid more than one night in a motel if we can. So…six o’clock okay?”

“Hell, make it five if you want,” Sam said easily.  “I’m an early bird.”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes.  “Are you one of those people that are cheerful in the mornings?” he asked.  He made it sound like a heinous crime.

“’Fraid so,” Sam said, grinning.  “I’ll try to keep it to a manageable level, though.”

“Good,” Gabriel said.  “I’d hate to have to kill you before I introduce you to my family.”

He decided he liked the sound of Sam’s laughter as it pealed across his apartment.

“See you in the morning,” Sam said, and disappeared out the door.

Gabriel set to work preparing snacks for the trip, his heart unaccountably lighter than it had been.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did someone say body shots?

Sam knocked on Gabriel’s door at 5:45 the next morning and Gabriel had to peel himself off the ceiling before he was able to answer and smile reasonably politely up at the tall young man.

Sam smiled at him, holding out a cup of wonderful smelling coffee. 

“I know it’s kind of like coals to Newcastle,” he said apologetically, “but there’s a coffee shop a few blocks away that has a fantastic dark roast that I love and I thought maybe you’d be too busy to take time for coffee…” He trailed off, looking abashed, and Gabriel inhaled the aroma with a grateful moan.

“I don’t know how you knew,” he said, stepping back so Sam could enter, “but I don’t care.” He took a sip and fairly _whimpered._   “Jesus, this is _amazing!_ ”

Sam rubbed the back of his neck, sending Gabriel an easy grin.  “Too bad it’s so expensive or I’d buy the beans in bulk. You all ready to go?”

Gabriel nodded, gesturing with his chin toward the bags neatly piled by the door. Sam picked up several in each huge hand and waited for Gabriel to pick up the others before following him out and down the stairs to Gabriel’s middle-aged sedan, sitting in the courtyard out back.

“It’s not the nicest of cars,” Gabriel said unhappily.  “Being a starving artist sounds great on paper but it can put a few wrinkles in the cushy lifestyle I’d like to become accustomed to.”

“It’s fine,” Sam said.  Gabriel popped the trunk and Sam began neatly stowing bags away.  “If I have to, I’ll stretch out in the backseat for legroom.”

The car packed, their breath puffing out in crystal clouds, Gabriel raced Sam back up the stairs and into the building to do a last-minute check of their apartments.  They met in the hall and locked their respective doors.

“Ready to do this?” Gabriel said.

Sam grinned at him.  “I was born ready.”

“Corny,” Gabriel said.  “Terribly, terribly corny. You need better material, kid.”

“It’s barely six in the morning!” Sam protested, following him down the stairs. “Give my brain time to wake up and I’ll be a lot funnier, I promise.”

They made it out of the city with only a few minor delays and Gabriel sipped his now-cool coffee with little hums of appreciation.

“If I’d known, I’d’ve bought you a bag of it,” Sam commented, leaning back against his door and watching Gabriel with amusement dancing in his eyes. “So, tell me more about your family.”

“My dad’s an investment banker in San Francisco,” Gabriel said, accelerating around a slow driver.  “They own a thousand acres in Colorado and he and my mom like to pretend to be ranchers on the weekends.”

Sam whistled. “Nice.”

“Otherwise known as pretentious,” Gabriel corrected. “But yeah.  They have plenty of money.  They’ll be paying our expenses while we’re there and they’ll be offended as fuck if you try to buy anything.  Basically, let them take care of everything.”

“Even condoms?” Sam said, and Gabriel nearly drove into the guardrail. Sam was grinning, the little _shit,_ and Gabriel swallowed hard.

“Since there will be no sexing, I don’t think condoms will be exactly necessary,” he said primly.

Sam snickered.  “If you say so.” He stretched, his sweater riding up and exposing a sliver of tanned stomach and crisply curled hairs leading down into his jeans…Gabriel swore and jerked the wheel as he realized he was drifting off the road.

“Um…plastic bag blew in front of me,” he improvised hastily.

“Maybe I should drive,” Sam suggested.

“Maybe you should shut up,” Gabriel snapped, and Sam laughed outright.

Gabriel was enjoying himself, he realized in surprise.  Sam was easy company, undemanding and friendly and impossible to offend. Yeah, he was ridiculously gorgeous and more than a little distracting, but he wasn’t doing it on purpose. Gabriel would just have to get over this. He foresaw a lot of cold showers in his future.

Sam leaned forward and turned on the radio.  “Do you mind?”

Gabriel waved vaguely, concentrating on the road, and Sam settled on an easy listening station after a few minutes of searching.

Gabriel shot him a startled look and Sam grinned, unabashed.

“Hey, Rod Stewart has some surprisingly insightful lyrics,” he said.

Gabriel snorted.  “If you say so, kid.”

Sam settled back against the door and Gabriel fished in the bag next to him, pulling out one of the apples he’d bought.

“We’re going to stop in the next town for breakfast,” he said, “But if you’re hungry…”

Sam took the apple with a happy hum and took a huge bite, moaning around it. “Holy _shit,_ ” he spluttered. “What _is_ this?”

“It’s a Honeycrisp apple from New Zealand,” Gabriel said, grinning.

“No,” Sam said decisively.  “No, it’s apple-flavored _crack_.”

He made short work of the fruit and Gabriel resolutely didn’t look while Sam licked his long fingers clean, one at a time.

“That,” Sam declared, “was amazing.  And I hope you brought more.”

“Play your cards right and you might even get some,” Gabriel said.

 

The rest of the day passed in a surprisingly pleasant way.  Gabriel handed the wheel over to Sam, who was a careful, competent driver, around noon, and stretched out in the back for a short nap.

He woke to Sam singing along to Barry Manilow in a pleasant baritone, and Gabriel lay quietly and listened.

God help him, he already liked Sam Winchester more than he’d expected to. The kid had the personality to match those stunning good looks, and he was kind and honest to a fault. Sometimes Gabriel would catch him in a quiet moment and there would be a pensive set to his mouth, a sorrow that lurked in the depths of his green-gold eyes, but when Sam felt his gaze, he’d always smile and the shadows would flee.

Gabriel’s heart ached for him.  Sam had lost the girl he’d loved to prejudice and shortsightedness, and then lost her all over again in a much more final way a few months later.  Even if he’d moved on, given up on rekindling that love, he had to be hurting.

But he only ever showed Gabriel sunny smiles and goofy jokes that made Gabriel groan as often as laugh.

Gabriel sat up and yawned.  Sam caught his eye in the mirror.

“Sleep well?”

Gabriel nodded.  “Time ‘zit?”

“Nearly three.  Looks like we have about four more hours before we hit our halfway mark.”

“Okay,” Gabriel said.  “I rented us rooms in the nicest motel I could find there.”

“Rooms plural?” Sam said.

“Well yeah,” Gabriel said, a little confused.  “We’re not there yet, we don’t have to pretend to be sleeping together.”

Sam shrugged, his eyes on the road.  “Okay, whatever.”

 

But the motel didn’t have very good news when they arrived. 

“Our water pipes on the south side of the building have burst,” the night manager informed them apologetically.  “We’ve had to move everyone to the north side and I’m afraid we only have one room left.”

Gabriel sighed.  “Does it at least have two beds?”

The manager’s face fell.  “Ah, well…”

“It’s fine,” Sam said firmly.  “We’ll take it.” He shouldered his bags and waited for the young man to print their keys and lead them down the hall. Gabriel trailed along behind, wordlessly frustrated.

Inside the room, he looked around.  It was a small, cramped space, and the bed dominated most of it.

Sam dumped his bags and stretched.

“We can’t stay here,” Gabriel said helplessly.

“Why not?” Sam said.

Gabriel waved a hand.  “Because… _because._   Look at this place!”

Sam shrugged. “Seems okay to me, but if it bothers you that much, I’ll take the floor.”

Gabriel suppressed a groan and collapsed face-first onto the bed.  Behind him, Sam snorted a laugh and unzipped his bag.

 

They went out to eat, finding a steakhouse recommended by the hotel staff and enjoying a peaceful dinner.  Gabriel took the opportunity to learn more about Sam.

“You know about…Ruby,” Sam said, his face shuttering.  “I have an older brother, Dean, and that’s it.”

“No parents?” Gabriel asked.

Sam shook his head.  “Mom died when I was little; I don’t even remember her.  And Dad was in a wreck a few years ago.  Didn’t make it out.”

“Jesus, I’m sorry,” Gabriel said, setting his fork down.

“I’m mostly over it,” Sam said.  “All Dad and I did was fight anyway.”

“Which means you probably felt even worse when he died,” Gabriel said.

Sam shrugged, avoiding Gabriel’s eyes.

“So, you and Dean, huh?” Gabriel prompted.

Sam accepted the conversational peace offering.  “Yeah, he basically raised me,” he said, spearing his baked potato. “He’s…he can be an ass, but I’m really proud of him.”

“I’m sure he’s proud of you too,” Gabriel said.  “Do you get to see him often?”

“Nah, he lives up in South Dakota with Bobby, who’s like a second father to us. Dean works with him at his garage.  I go up there for holidays though.”

 

They talked about inconsequential things for the rest of the meal, still feeling each other out but getting more and more comfortable with each other. Sam had a wickedly sharp sense of humor and was happy to use it to maximum effect, leaving Gabriel in helpless hiccups of laughter on more than one occasion.

When they headed for the motel, they were much more relaxed, their shoulders bumping as they walked.

Gabriel pushed the door open and stifled a yawn.  Sam was looking a little ragged around the edges too, and Gabriel bit his lip at the thought of him having to sleep on the hard floor.

“Look,” he said before he could change his mind. “This is stupid. Promise not to hump me in my sleep and you can share the bed with me.”

Sam’s face lit up.  “Are you sure?”

Gabriel nodded, already regretting it.  It wasn’t Sam humping _him_ that he was worried about; just the opposite.

But Sam just grinned at him and headed for the bathroom to change.

Gabriel took his turn next and Sam was curled up in the big bed, thoughtfully all the way over on the far right side when Gabriel slid in on the left.

Gabriel turned the light off and pulled the sheet up with a relieved sigh. Maybe this wouldn’t be a disaster after all.

“Goodnight, Sam,” he said quietly.

“G’night, Gabe,” Sam murmured, his voice already fogged with sleep.

Gabriel dropped off more quickly than he’d expected to, and woke up in the morning with a six foot four octopus wrapped around him.

Gabriel lay still, not daring to breathe as Sam rubbed his nose against Gabriel’s soft t-shirt.  One long leg was pinning Gabriel to the mattress, and _oh God…_ Sam was pressing a very sizable erection against Gabriel’s hip.

Gabriel closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle as Sam murmured in his sleep and rocked forward, grinding his hard length a little more forcefully on Gabriel’s thigh.

_I am not a saint,_ Gabriel thought desperately.  He was already achingly hard, standing erect, and he wanted to roll over and press kisses to Sam’s sleepy mouth, wake him up by wrapping his lips around Sam’s cock, bring him off with smooth, easy strokes of hand and tongue.

Instead, he began to disentangle himself from Sam’s limbs, sliding out inch by inch until Sam made a sad noise and rolled over to pull a pillow against his front.

Free of the bed, Gabriel made a silent dash for the bathroom.  He locked the door and turned the shower on, leaning against the cool tile wall as the water heated and doing his best to ignore his straining erection.

It wasn’t going away any time soon, he realized in despair after a few minutes, and he shucked his clothes and stepped into the shower. Sighing, he reached down and wrapped a tight fist around himself, swallowing a groan as his hips bucked forward.

Sam had no idea, none at all…and he couldn’t know that Gabriel found him so sexy, so devastatingly attractive.  It was crossing so many lines.  Gabriel found a rhythm and began to stroke himself in quick, desperate movements, bracing an elbow against the wall.

He shaped Sam’s name silently with his mouth when he came with a shudder, hot water sluicing down his body in sheets.  Legs trembling, Gabriel cleaned himself off and climbed out quickly, trying desperately for a semblance of normalcy.

The sooner he got this under control, the better.  If that meant jacking off in the shower to keep his dirty mind from running wild, well…so be it.

He cleaned the steam off the mirror and looked at himself in the glass. _You’re fucked,_ his reflection told him.   _And not in the fun way._

 

**SAM**

 

Sam woke up with a raging hard-on and the very disturbing sense that he’d been humping something in his sleep.  He just really hoped it had just been a pillow and not Gabriel, who was no longer in bed with him.

Gabriel came out of the bathroom, toweling his hair dry, and smiled at him. “Morning,” he said cheerfully. “Sleep well?”

Sam nodded through a yawn. 

“Go take your shower and we’ll grab some breakfast before we hit the road,” Gabriel said.  His damp hair was falling into his eyes, free of the usual gel or whatever Gabriel used to keep it out of his face, and Sam was finding it difficult to concentrate.

He nodded again and stood up, sidling sideways around the bed so Gabriel wouldn’t see the inappropriate tent in his pajama pants, and grabbed his duffel on the way to the bathroom.

Freshly showered and shaved, he came out to find Gabriel putting on his shoes, his bag already repacked.

“Ready?”

“Lead the way,” Sam said.  He followed the shorter man out of the room and to the car.

“There’s an Egg and I not far from here,” Gabriel said.  “Sound good?”

“I trust your judgment,” Sam said.

Gabriel gasped.  “Sammy. Never eaten at Egg and I? Allow me to educate you in the finer art of affordable breakfast food.”

He was right, Sam discovered; Egg and I had delicious food and even better coffee. He inhaled his first two cups while Gabriel watched with wide eyes.

“Damn, kiddo, you put it away better than I do,” Gabriel said eventually.

Sam shrugged. “I like coffee,” he said around a mouthful of eggs.

“And food, I see,” Gabriel said, eyeing the heaping plateful in front of Sam.

“’M hungry,” Sam said, hunching his shoulders.

“Well, obviously it takes a lot to keep a sasquatch like you fueled up,” Gabriel said, grinning.  “Good thing my parents sent me money for trip costs or we might go broke before we get there!”

Sam swallowed his mouthful and opened his mouth but Gabriel held up a finger. “Don’t you dare apologize,” he said firmly.  “You’re a growing boy, you need your food.  And I promise it’s a drop in the bucket.  My parents will never even notice.”

“I’m grown up,” Sam mumbled to his plate.

“Oh, that much is clear,” Gabriel said, and winked when Sam glanced up, startled. “I’m gonna go pay for all this. We should hit the road pretty soon.”

Sam turned his attention back to clearing his plate and before long they were back on the highway, headed out of the city. 

Sam shivered, warming his hands in front of the air vent. 

“Heater in here sucks,” Gabriel said.  He reached over the seat and pulled out a blanket, tossing it in Sam’s lap. “There, tuck yourself in and get comfy.”

Sam obeyed, wrapping the soft fleece folds around his legs and pushing his hands into the depths.  He sighed in relief as warmth began to seep back into his bones. 

“The wind off Lake Erie is pretty brutal once the temps start dropping,” Gabriel said. “It’ll get better soon, once we stop paralleling the lake’s shore.”

“So how long have we been dating?” Sam asked.  He leaned against the door so he could study Gabriel’s profile, which was far more attractive than it had a right to be.

“Well, I moved in a little over a year ago,” Gabriel said.  One hand was on the wheel, the other drumming on the seat between him and Sam.  “My mom calls about once a month, and somewhere around the six month mark was when my patience snapped and I saw you walking up the street and everything went all to hell.”

Sam snorted. “What’d you tell her about me?”

“Well, I kept the details scarce,” Gabriel said, changing lanes.  “The less she knew, the lower the chance I’d get caught in a lie, right?  But I told her you were twenty-six, described you physically, said that you liked the same kind of music as me, read voraciously and wanted to be a writer.”

Sam straightened and Gabriel cast him a guilty glance.  “I’m not stalking you, I swear,” he said hastily. “You sit out in the park on your days off and if you’re not reading, you’re scribbling in a notebook. It was an educated guess.”

Sam settled back.  “I’m twenty-five, actually,” he said.

Gabriel grinned.  “I was close.”

 

The rest of the day passed uneventfully.  By mid-afternoon, Sam was bored out of his mind and crawled into the back to nap while Gabriel drove.  He woke as the sun was going down and Gabriel was parking in front of a hotel.

“Where are we?” Sam asked, sitting up and stretching.

“Omaha,” Gabriel said.  “I checked us in while you were out cold.  No water damage in this hotel, so you’ll get to have a bed to yourself tonight.”

Sam stifled disappointment and nodded, sliding out of the backseat and grabbing his bag.

Their rooms were right next to each other, and Gabriel hesitated at his door.

“Sam…”

Sam looked up from fumbling with his key card.  “Yeah?”

“You wanna go out tonight?  I mean, like somewhere with alcohol?  We’re meeting my family tomorrow and we’re going to be expected to be on our best behavior all week. I’d kind of like to let loose just once before we get there.”

Sam smiled at him.  “If you can find a place within walking distance so we don’t have to drive, that sounds fantastic.” His card finally decided to work and his door swung open.

“Half an hour enough time?” Gabriel asked.

“See you then,” Sam said, and headed into his room.

 

**GABRIEL**

 

Half an hour later, fresh from the shower, Sam met Gabriel in the hall. Gabriel smiled up at him, his own hair still a little damp.

“Found a place just two blocks down,” Gabriel announced.  “The reviews are excellent; good food, service and drinks.”

“What are we waiting for?” Sam asked.  “Lead on!”

They pulled their coats on and walked the two blocks to their destination. Sam stopped in his tracks at the sight of the bar.

“The Oilcan?” he asked incredulously.

Gabriel grinned at him.  “Killer cheese sticks, apparently. C’mon, I’m hungry.” He grabbed Sam’s arm and tugged him inside the building, which was all dark wood and dim lighting.

A dark-eyed smiling young man introduced himself as Emilio, seated them and took their drink order.

As he vanished in the direction of the bar in the back, Sam glanced around them. “Gabe, is this a gay bar?”

“Can’t get nothin’ past you, Sammy!” Gabriel said.  “Was it the drag queen about to sing that gave it away, or all the pretty boys in sequins and very little else?”

Sam narrowed his eyes at him.  “You brought me to a _gay bar._ ” He sounded scandalized but not disgusted, and Gabriel laughed.

Emilio returned with their beer, setting it in front of them, and took their meal orders. “Just so you know,” he said when he was done, “tonight is Stripper Night.”

Gabriel gasped in delight.  “Did you hear that, Sam? Stripper Night! What does that entail, Emilio?”

Emilio smiled, teeth flashing white in the gloom.  “Anyone that wants to strip can.  For every item of clothing you remove, you’ll get a free drink.”

“Oh, I was _made_ for this,” Gabriel declared, rubbing his hands together, and Sam buried his face in his hands with a heartfelt groan.

Gabriel made short work of his first three beers, but noticed that Sam was close behind him, and the more Sam drank, the more relaxed he became.  Those broad shoulders lost their hunched look; the big hands that were fiddling with the coaster were loose and easy.  He was smiling, an infectious grin that made Gabriel want to promise him the world if only Sam would promise to always smile like that; his green eyes lit up and sparkling, the dimples appearing in both cheeks… Gabriel looked away and took another hasty swallow of beer.

He was relieved when their food appeared, but watching Sam moan as he ate cheese sticks was even worse.  His tongue flicked out to catch an errant drop of marinara sauce, pink and wet, and Gabriel closed his eyes and _prayed_.

“Gabe?” Sam sounded concerned.

Gabriel opened his eyes to see Sam leaning forward, a worried line between his brows.

“You okay?” he asked.

Gabriel smiled at him.  “I’m fine, kiddo. Oh hey, look, someone’s going to strip!” He swiveled in his seat to watch the chubby young man that was climbing hesitantly onto the stage at the far end of the room, and Sam obediently turned to see as well.

The first grinding beats of Pour Some Sugar On Me started up and the man shot a frantic look at his companion, sitting directly in front of the stage. The other man clapped wildly and Gabriel joined in, calling encouragement.  Sam was applauding next to him, and the young man on the stage straightened, his confidence buoyed, and began to move his hips.

The dance was a disaster; the man – little more than a boy, really – had no idea how to move to the beat, he got his fingers tangled in his shirt, and then he tripped over his pants as he was pushing them off (he had voluminous boxers on underneath – violently red with white hearts), but Sam and Gabriel cheered as hard as the dancer’s boyfriend when the song ended and he jumped off the stage, laughing and flushed with victory.  His boyfriend grabbed him and kissed him and Gabriel grinned, watching them.

“They’re adorable,” Sam said beside him.

“Yup,” Gabriel said.  Sam was looking a little too introspective, Gabriel decided, and he jumped up, grabbing Sam’s wrist. “Your turn,” he announced.

“What?” Sam squawked, trying in vain to hold onto the booth and stop his forward slide.  “No! I’m not stripping! Gabriel, stop it!”

Gabriel let go of his arm and cocked his head, considering.  He glanced around and grinned to himself. The big room was rapidly filling up and he had quite an audience.  _Perfect._   He made for the stage and bounded onto it, tapping the microphone and waiting until the din had settled a little.

When he was satisfied that enough people were looking at him, Gabriel spoke. “Ladies and gentlemen, if I could direct your attention to the absolutely _gorgeous_ specimen in the booth against the wall,” he pointed and Sam shrank back into the shadows. “That is my boyfriend, Sam.  Isn’t he something?”

Everyone applauded, with several very loud whistles thrown in, and Gabriel’s grin widened.  “Sam is very shy, but he’s been working on overcoming this.  He wants to strip for drinks for you lovely people tonight, but he needs a little encouragement.  Do you think you could help me out in getting him up here?”

Sam’s hands were over his face, his shoulders shaking, as the audience began to chant his name.

“ _Sam! Sam! Sam!”_

Gabriel hopped off the stage and strode through the crowd, fetching up in front of Sam and holding out a hand.

“Your public awaits, Sammy,” he said.

Sam lowered his hands.  His face was beet-red as he glared up at Gabriel.  “I hate you,” he said.

Gabriel winked at him.  “No, you don’t. And look at it this way; free beer!”

Sam whimpered but took Gabriel’s hand, sliding out of the booth and onto his feet as the spectators cheered.

Gabriel led him back across the room and gave him a gentle shove up onto the stage, and whispered to the DJ as Sam cast a panicky look around him.

The first hard driving beats of Can’t Get Enough started and Sam glared at Gabriel, who grinned up at him, waving his hands encouragingly.

_That’s the stuff that turns me on_

_More than gold and money_

Sam began to unbutton his shirt, his fingers slow and clumsy, and Gabriel whistled, high and sharp, between his index and middle finger.  _God, the boy did a glorious bitchface_ , he thought happily.

Sam’s head was nodding in time with the music and Gabriel shouted the next line of lyrics at him.

_Move your legs, stamp your feet_

_The language of your body_

_Is right now all I need_

He could pinpoint the exact moment Sam threw caution to the winds.

_I can’t get enough_

Sam yanked his shirt off to loud clapping, leaving him clad in a white singlet that showcased those incredible arms, and flexed, grinning as the room whooped and whistled.

_Burning lips the taste of life_

_High energy, hot feelings_

Sam unbuttoned the top button of his jeans and raised an eyebrow, his hips swiveling in time with the beat, and the crowd shouted approval.  Gabriel had forgotten what oxygen was, let alone how to get any into his lungs.

Sam shook his head and moved his hands away from his waistband, and the crowd groaned. Instead he pulled the singlet off, dropping it in a heap behind him, and spun, cocking a hip out, and Gabriel nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight of that gorgeous ass, toned and muscular, in the faded denim.

The audience appreciated it too, from the way the cheers got louder. Sam looked over his shoulder and dropped a saucy wink and Gabriel laughed outright.  The alcohol had gone straight to his head, making him dizzy, and he felt like he was floating, watching the most beautiful man he’d ever seen perform a striptease that was at once both outrageously silly and somehow downright filthy.

_I can’t get enough_

_We can’t get enough_

Sam swiveled around to face the audience and his hand went back to his jeans, inching the zipper down, and Gabriel suddenly realized he didn’t _want_ to see Sam naked in front of a room full of strangers. He jumped to his feet and leaped onto the stage, grabbing Sam’s shirt and shoving it at him before turning to the microphone. 

“Sam Winchester, ladies and gentlemen!” he shouted, and the crowd roared and stomped their approval.  Sam slung a long, golden brown arm around Gabriel’s shoulders, his frame loose and still vibrating with laughter, and leaned into the microphone.

“They say revenge is a dish best served cold,” he said, “but personally, I think revenge is a dish best served as… _body shots!”_

The crowd went _wild_ and Gabriel froze, horrified. Sam tugged his white singlet back on but left his other shirt off, gripping Gabriel’s wrist and dragging him toward the bar as the audience surged after them.

“Sam, _wait_ ,” Gabriel protested, setting his heels in a vain attempt to stop.  “Sam -” Someone gave him a helpful shove from behind and Gabriel shot a dirty look over his shoulder as Sam took advantage of his off-balance state and hauled him forward and into his arms.

Gabriel’s nose was smashed up against Sam’s shoulder, Sam’s long arms pinning him in place. Gabriel wriggled and Sam tightened his grip.

“Turnabout’s fair play, Novak,” Sam whispered under the crowd’s noise. “Shut up and take your medicine like a man.”

Gabriel swallowed hard and went limp.  He was so _screwed._   Sam hoisted him up onto the bar and Gabriel perched there, feeling utterly idiotic as Sam pulled his long-sleeved t-shirt over his head and tossed it into the crowd.  Gabriel crossed his arms over his stomach, trying in vain to hide the pudge that lived there no matter how many crunches he did.

He wasn’t Sam.  Sam was endless long golden limbs and bright flashing smiles, effortless beauty and a body built by Adonis himself.  Gabriel was just…him. Shorter than average, sparse hair on his chest, and a bit of a tummy.

Then a big hand was on Gabriel’s shoulder, pressing him backward until he was stretched out on the huge mahogany bar, hands gripping the edges, the wood cool against his naked back.

Sam leaned over him, grinning.  “Now just…lie still. I’ll do the rest.”

Gabriel gulped, but Sam was already looking up, signaling the bartender. The burly man set out a bottle of tequila, a plate of limes, and a salt shaker, and the crowd pushed forward to get a better view, shoving Sam up against the bar.  Sam grunted, scowling.

“This isn’t going to work.”

Gabriel sagged with relief, which abruptly vanished when Sam vaulted up onto the bar, straddling Gabriel’s prone body.

_Oh Jesus._

“Much better,” Sam said, grinning.  “Now I have perfect…access.”

Several onlookers snickered and Gabriel gripped the edge of the bar harder, his knuckles whitening.  He wasn’t going to survive this.

Sam sat back on his heels, glancing at the crowd.  “Where should the salt go first?”

“Collarbone!”

“Belly-button!”

“Nipple!” Gabriel’s hand flew up to cover his chest at that, and Sam snorted a laugh, considering. 

He held out a hand and the bartender put the first shot of tequila and a lime into it. Sam leaned down to Gabriel’s ear and whispered, “Don’t spill it.”  Then he placed the shot on Gabriel’s breastbone, set the lime wedge between Gabriel’s teeth and without warning, licked a slow, hot stripe along his clavicle.

Gabriel nearly yelped. Sam’s tongue dragged along his skin, making goose-bumps rise in its wake, and only the lime in his mouth kept him from making a very inappropriate noise. 

Sam leaned back enough to sprinkle salt on the wet spot, glancing up to meet Gabriel’s eyes with a devilish gleam in his own and diving back down to lick up the salt as Gabriel concentrated frantically on not spilling the tequila don’t spill the tequila _sweet Jesus this was the hottest thing that had ever happened to him._

Then Sam was catching the rim of the shot glass in his teeth and tilting his head back, his long throat working as he swallowed, and dropping the glass into his hand. He leaned forward, his breath hot and sweet against Gabriel’s face, and lowered his head until his lips closed around the lime and he plucked it from Gabriel’s mouth.

The audience roared approval and Gabriel was simultaneously glad of and desperately regretting his choice of tight jeans for the evening. They mostly hid his erection in the dim light of the bar, but he was aching miserably, straining against the unforgiving denim, and he was pretty sure he wouldn’t survive much more of this torture.

“Another?” Sam asked the crowd, and they shouted agreement.

“ _No,_ ” Gabriel said, wriggling backward, out from under Sam’s weight where it had been resting on his thighs. “No, Sam, I’m done. You’ve had your revenge.” _Please,_ he added silently.  He was so turned on he was genuinely afraid of coming in his pants like an overeager teenager, and he flinched away when Sam reached for him.

Sam sucked in a startled breath but didn’t press it.  He turned to the crowd.  “Show’s over, folks!  Thanks for playing!” He jumped down and held out a hand to Gabriel, who gingerly accepted his help down from the bar.

Sam turned to hunt for Gabriel’s shirt, eventually locating it where it had been kicked under a chair and handing it back to him, his eyes worried.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

Gabriel shrugged the shirt on.  “I’m fine,” he said. “I’m ready to go back to the hotel now.”

“Okay,” Sam said, running his hands through his hair.  “Yeah, okay.  Gabe…I was just having fun with you.  I didn’t mean…”

“I know,” Gabriel said, cutting him off.  “It’s fine, Sam, I’m just ready to go.  Long day of driving ahead of us tomorrow.”

Sam nodded and retrieved his own shirt while Gabriel paid the bill and they headed for the hotel.  The silence was strained this time, uncomfortable with the weight of unspoken things, and Gabriel couldn’t think of anything to say for the life of him.

They reached their doors and Sam fiddled with the lock, glancing up at Gabriel under his lashes like a puppy afraid of being kicked.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Gabriel forced a smile.  “Nothing to apologize for, Sammy.  I embarrassed you, you embarrassed me.  It was fun. I’ll see you in the morning. Sleep well.”  He slipped inside before Sam could answer, closing the door and leaning against it.

God, everything Sam did made Gabriel want him more, whether it was being unintentionally sexy over cheese sticks, stripping in front of a hundred gay men, or _licking Gabriel_ and drinking tequila off him.  And Sam had no idea what he was doing, no clue that he was slowly driving Gabriel out of his mind. He’d be startled if he knew, maybe flattered, even, but there was no way he’d ever reciprocate. A man like Sam was meant to be with supermodels, not short, boring sculptors with modeling clay permanently under their nails.

Gabriel muffled a groan with the back of his hand and fumbled with the button of his jeans with the other as he stumbled toward the bed.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning was awkward as hell, of course.  Sam was uncharacteristically subdued, fiddling with his fringed scarf as he sat ramrod straight next to Gabriel in the front seat.

“Okay if we just hit the McDonald’s drive-through?” Gabriel asked as he started the car.

“That’s fine,” Sam said.  He tugged the blanket out of the back and wrapped it around himself and Gabriel slanted a smile at him.

“You say you love fall but you hate cold weather?  How’s that work?”

Sam relaxed a little bit and gave him a tiny smile back.  “I don’t hate cold weather.   It hates me.  I can’t help it; I wasn’t built for mountain climates, I guess.”

Gabriel snorted.  “You’re gonna be miserable for the next week, then.”  He pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the restaurant he’d seen on his way in the night before.

“I packed warm,” Sam assured him.  “I’ll be fine.”

The next two hours passed peacefully enough, with very little talking. Sam rested his head against the window and stared out at the passing scenery with distant eyes.

Then he sat upright with a yelp and Gabriel nearly went off the road in shock.

“A farmer’s market, Gabe, look!”

Gabriel straightened out the car and looked where Sam was pointing. Giant signs proclaimed that a monthly farmer’s market was going on “Just Ahead” and exhorted them to slow down and stop in for a visit.

Gabriel glanced at Sam, who was very nearly vibrating in his seat.  “Seriously?” he asked.

“Please?” Sam said.  “I haven’t been to a real farmer’s market in _ages._ I’ll bet they have the _best_ apples!”

Gabriel couldn’t resist the hope in those green eyes.  He sighed and downshifted, turning down the dirt road into a huge field lined with cars.  He parked and Sam jumped out, waiting impatiently as Gabriel climbed out after him.

“Have fun,” Gabriel said, flapping a hand.

Sam stared at him.  “You’re not…you don’t want to come with me?”

Gabriel felt like he’d kicked a kitten.  “I didn’t think you wanted company,” he said feebly.

The young man grinned suddenly, wide and bright.  “Come on,” he said.  “Allow me to induct you into the joys of farmer’s markets.”

Gabriel trailed after him as Sam headed into the enormous pavilion and started down the first aisle of vendors.

“Look at these candles!” Sam said, grabbing Gabriel’s arm and pulling him towards a booth.  The blonde girl behind the table smiled brightly at them.

“Made from our own bees’ wax!” she said cheerfully.  “We sell honey too.  Did you know that honey from local bees will actually help boost your immune system?”

Gabriel smiled back at her.  “We’re just passing through,” he said.

“Well, it still tastes fantastic,” she said, winking at him, and offered him a small triangle of bread with honey drizzled on it.

Gabriel accepted it and sighed happily as the flavor exploded across his tongue, sweet and tangy.  Sam was watching him, eyes wide and dark, but he turned away when Gabriel met his gaze.

“How much for this?” he asked the girl, picking up a candle with three wicks.

“Sixteen dollars,” the vendor said cheerfully.

Sam gulped and set the candle back on the table.  “Okay, thanks.”  He glanced across the aisle at the booth behind them.  “Ooh, muffins.   I’m gonna go browse them, Gabe.”

“Be right there,” Gabriel said, rummaging in his pocket for his wallet. “I need to buy some honey for my parents first.”  He waited until Sam was at the other booth, broad back turned, before setting the candle Sam had been looking at next to the jars of honey he wanted.  “I’ll take all of this,” he said.

“You got it,” the girl said, and began to wrap it all up.

Gabriel stashed the candle at the bottom of the bag and grinned his thanks at her before joining Sam, who was accepting a basket of fragrant muffins from the curvy woman with the beautiful smile.

Gabriel sniffed the air appreciatively.  “I don’t suppose you’re single?” he asked the seller.

She dimpled at him.  “Nice try, kid, but I would eat you alive.”

“If your food tastes as good as it smells, then what a way to go,” Gabriel told her, and she laughed.

Sam handed her his money and waited for change.  “Stop flirting with the poor woman and let her get back to selling her baked goods,” he told Gabriel sternly.

Gabriel sighed.  “It was worth a shot.” He dropped the vendor a wink and she waved him off with another laugh.

Sam was heading down the aisle toward a booth selling fruit.  “Gabe, look!”

“Yeah, Sam,” Gabriel said, catching up.  “Fruit. That’s…thrilling. We still have a couple of Honeycrisps in the car.”

Sam shot him a disappointed look.  “Gabe.” He picked up a bright red apple and brandished it in Gabriel’s face.  “ _Organic.”_

Gabriel couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up.  Sam was _adorable,_ and he had no idea. Just like that, the awkwardness of the previous night was forgotten, and he grinned up at the taller man.

“Go on, then,” he said.  “Buy your apples, you gangling vegetarian, you.”

Sam turned back to the vendor and pointed at the apples he wanted.  “Six of each, please?”

Next, a metalworker caught Gabriel’s eye and he headed in that direction. The man sitting down at the corner of the booth stood up as Gabriel approached.  He was a big guy, burly and bearded, and he smiled widely as Gabriel pointed to an ornate pot-rack, meant for suspending over a stove.

“How much?”

“Three hundred,” the man replied.

“I’ll take it,” Gabriel said.

The man blinked.  “Don’t wanna haggle none?”

“Would it do any good?” Gabriel asked bluntly.

“Prob’ly not,” the other man admitted.  “But it’s always fun to try.”

Sam snorted a laugh from behind Gabriel and Gabriel shrugged.  “Don’t have much time,” he said.  “Rather pay a little extra than waste daylight driving hours just to get the price down a bit.”

“Fair enough,” the seller said judiciously.

Gabriel paid and accepted the heavy rack, grunting under its weight as Sam watched curiously.

“I’ve seen your kitchen,” he said, grabbing one end to steady Gabriel’s load as they staggered toward the car.  “Pretty sure there’s no room for anything like that.”

Gabriel shot him a grin and popped the trunk.  “S’not for me.  ‘S’for Michael and his fiancée. They probably don’t have anything like this.”

“Oh, nice!” Sam said, and helped him wrestle the rack into the trunk until it was safely wedged in on top of their duffels.

Finally, Gabriel was satisfied and closed the trunk.  “Wanna go browse some more?”

Sam shook his head.  “You’re right – we’ve got more driving to do.  We should get back on the road.  I’ve got my apples and some muffins, which I might even share with you.”

“We can stay longer,” Gabriel said, but Sam shook his head again.

“No, let’s go.”

 

In the car, Sam rested the muffins on his lap and Gabriel groaned at the delicious smell.

“What kind do you want?” Sam asked.

“Surprise me,” Gabriel said.

Sam handed him what looked like a bran muffin, and Gabriel fairly whimpered when he bit into it.

“Sweet Jesus, I really am gonna go back and marry that woman,” he managed around his mouthful.

Sam laughed, spraying muffin crumbs, and belatedly covered his mouth. “Pretty sure she _would_ eat you alive, dude.”

“Whatever,” Gabriel said, taking another bite.  “I may be short, but I’m scrappy.  I’d put up a fight.”

Silence fell as they drove, but it was comfortable this time, the tension from earlier gone.  They talked of inconsequential things and Gabriel soaked up information like dry ground after a long drought.

Sam wanted a dog, had always wanted a dog, and never had one.

“Our landlord allows pets, you know,” Gabriel pointed out.

Sam shrugged. “I know.  But I work long hours.  I don’t feel right leaving a dog alone for so long.  A cat would be fine, but a dog needs time with his or her owner. Maybe down the road, when I’m not pulling double shifts.”

Gabriel just nodded.  “Listen, Sam, there’s something I’ve been meaning to discuss with you.”

Sam took a big bite of blueberry muffin and hummed questioningly.

Gabriel’s lips twitched.  “Classy. My mother is going to _love_ you.”

Sam swallowed the bite and stuck out his tongue, which was now blue. “I _do_ have manners.  I just don’t always choose to utilize them.  What did you want to discuss?”

“Right,” Gabriel said, distracted by the sight of Sam’s tongue.  “Um.  Oh, yeah. So, my parents have seen me with a couple of boyfriends.  And, uh…I feel like I should warn you…”

Sam arched an eyebrow, waiting.

“I’m very hands-on with my partners usually,” Gabriel said in a rush, and Sam laughed outright.  Gabriel hunched his shoulders, feeling his face redden.  “Shut up,” he growled, gripping the steering wheel.

Sam sobered and patted Gabriel’s knee.  “So you’re physically affectionate and your parents will expect…what, exactly?”

“Nothing _much,_ ” Gabriel said, trying to ignore how warm Sam’s hand was.  “It’s not like you’ll have to worry about me groping you in front of them. But, um…holding hands. I tend to like to sit, uh…close. And probably…the occasional kiss.” His face was on _fire._

Sam just snickered and sat back, digging for another muffin.  That made five, Gabriel noted, distantly impressed. The boy could really pack it away.

“It’s fine,” Sam was saying.  “I can handle it. Don’t _worry,_ Gabe.  We’re gonna sell this. They’ll have no idea.”

“Sam, if I haven’t said it recently, thank you,” Gabriel said.  “You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into, but you’re here and I can’t even begin to express how much I appreciate it. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

Sam’s eyebrows rose and Gabriel reviewed what he’d said and hastily backtracked. “I mean, uh, the rest of however long we know each other?  The rest of our time as neighbors?  I’m just…gonna shut up now.”

Sam snickered.  “Gabe, if you think I’m going to let you go as a friend now, you’ve got another think coming. You’re awesome and I’m keeping you. Besides, it can’t be _that_ bad, can it?”

Gabriel’s chest was warm but he focused desperately on Sam’s question. “It’s worse,” he assured him.

“Do they eat babies for breakfast?” Sam asked.

“Well, veal occasionally,” Gabriel admitted.  “No human babies that I know of.  _So far,_ ” he added darkly, mostly to hear Sam’s laugh.

It worked, Sam throwing his head back and exposing that long, gorgeous neck in his mirth, and Gabriel swallowed hard and did his best to keep his eyes on the road.

_You’re awesome and I’m keeping you._

He would treasure those words, he thought, keep them close like a dragon hoarding his gold, huddling around them and letting them warm him from the inside out.

“How much further?” Sam asked.

“We’re almost to the Colorado state line,” Gabriel said.  “Map it on your phone, would you?”

Sam obeyed, long fingers deft on the screen.  “Looks like another six hours or so, without traffic.”

“Make it seven, since we’ll have to stop for lunch,” Gabriel said. “We should be there a little before dinnertime.  That’ll make my mom happy.”

Sam fumbled in the backpack behind the seat and came up holding a book. “Do you mind if I read?”

“Why on earth would I mind?” Gabriel asked, startled.

Sam shrugged. “Some might consider it rude. See?  I do have manners!”

Gabriel grinned at him.  “Go ahead and read. What book is it?”

Sam held it up.

“Oh, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, nice!” Gabriel said.  “Is this your first time reading it?”

“Yeah, I didn’t know what kind of books I liked until a few years ago. I’ve been working my way through some authors since.”

“Read Terry Pratchett?”

“No, should I?” Sam asked, settling back against the door and getting comfortable.

Gabriel slanted a grin at him.  “Oh, I am gonna have some fun educating you, my child.”

“I look forward to it,” Sam said serenely, and began to read, leaving Gabriel alone to his thoughts.

They passed the Colorado state line, Sam snorting occasionally and reading a funny snippet aloud to Gabriel to enjoy with him.  He was incredibly easy company; undemanding, generous and kind. Despite Gabriel’s worry about the upcoming week, he was still enjoying himself more than he’d thought possible.

With about an hour to go, Sam put the book away and gazed out the window at the mountains that they were entering.

“This is gorgeous,” he breathed.  “I mean, I knew Colorado was pretty, but pictures just don’t do it justice.”

“There’s a reason my parents chose here to vacation,” Gabriel agreed. “Although my car’s never going to forgive me for forcing her to work so hard.”  He patted the dash.  “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

Sam snorted. “You sound like my brother. He’s obsessed with his car. Calls it ‘Baby’. I’ve never seen a grown man more pathetic.”

“I think I’d like your brother,” Gabriel said, resisting the urge to stick out his tongue. “If you love your car, it’ll take care of you.  Love keeps her in the air when she ought to fall down.”

Sam blinked. “Did you just…quote Firefly at me?”

“Maybe?” Gabriel hazarded.

Sam’s grin flashed wide and white.  “Never ride in anything with a Capissen Thirty-Eight engine -”

“They fall right out of the sky!” Gabriel finished, and high-fived him.

The rest of the drive was taken up with discussing various sci-fi movies, comparing notes and quoting their favorites back and forth.

They arrived in Crested Butte laughing, still trading titles, until Sam looked around at their surroundings and whistled in awe.

“I think I just got poorer driving through,” he said.

“It happens,” Gabriel said, nodding.  “Even the air is more expensive.” 

“Really?” Sam said, startled.  “Oh. Because it’s rarefied. Nice.” 

“No one’s ever got that joke before!” Gabriel exclaimed, grinning. 

He followed the winding streets through the mountain town, pointing out some of his favorite spots. 

“That’s the ice cream shop Anna and I used to go to.  I worked there a couple of summers when I got old enough. I’ll have to take you. They have a green tea ice cream that’ll make you sit up and beg for mercy.”

“Sounds delicious,” Sam said.  “Where’s your parents’ place?”

“About ten minutes north of town,” Gabriel said, downshifting to get up the hill. “Hope you don’t mind opening a few gates.”

“I’m here to be used and abused,” Sam said cheerfully, and Gabriel nearly choked on his tongue at the filthy images that flooded his mind.

Sam spread out on the bed, naked and begging.  Blindfolded, mouth wet and obscene as Gabriel worked him over, slow and steady and relentless.

“Earth to Gabriel,” Sam said, snapping his fingers in front of Gabriel’s nose. “Where did you just go?”

Gabriel swallowed hard.  “Nowhere…interesting.”

They left the city and Gabriel forgot his fantasy as the stress over meeting his parents loomed ever closer.  His shoulders got tighter and tighter until he was a ball of jumpy nerves, startling at every noise.

When he finally pulled up at the first gate, Sam didn’t immediately get out. Instead he looked at Gabriel, brow furrowed.

Gabriel flapped a hand at him.  “Gate. Open.”

“Gabe,” Sam said quietly, and Gabriel felt compelled to meet his eyes. “It’s gonna be okay, Gabe. Your parents aren’t going to ruin this. Trust me.”

“Yeah well, you haven’t met my parents,” Gabriel muttered, sinking down a little in his seat.

“But I have met _you,_ ” Sam said. “And we’re going to be fine. Okay?”

Gabriel sighed and nodded, gripping the steering wheel a little harder, but his shoulders eased a bit.  “Thank you,” he whispered.

Sam winked at him and hopped out of the car to open the gate.

 

They pulled up the main drive and Anna burst out of the door of the enormous house before Gabriel had the car in park. 

“Gabriel, what _took_ you so long?” She enveloped Gabriel in a magnolia-scented hug while he was still stepping out his door, and he hugged her back, laughing.

“It’s good to see you too, sis.”  He pulled away a little and gestured to Sam.  “This is…my boyfriend.  Sam Winchester.”

Anna let go of him and dashed around the car to hug Sam, who looked a little poleaxed but hugged her back.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Sam,” she told him, smiling up at him.

Gabriel watched them together for a minute.  Anna was the only member of his family that he could stand for any length of time, and she’d always been there for him when their parents were demanding more from Gabriel than he could give.

Her huge blue eyes sparkled as she spoke to Sam, pushing her heavy red hair back with one slim hand.  Sam seemed utterly taken, gazing back at her with a smile playing on his lips, and Gabriel cleared his throat.

“We should get this stuff inside.  Anna, I haven’t wrapped Michael and Felicity’s present.  Can you help me hide it?”

Anna glanced around, considering, and nodded.  “We’ll put it in the stable.  He never goes in there.”

Sam took one edge of the heavy wrought-iron while Gabriel grabbed the other, and together they toted the rack into the nearest stall.  Gabriel heaped some clean hay over it and declared himself satisfied.

“Time to face the executioners,” he said, and froze when Sam’s arm slid around him, warm and solid.

The taller man was smiling down at him.  “I’m sure they’re nice,” he said.

Gabriel allowed himself to lean against him for a moment.  “Keep up the charm, Winchester; maybe they won’t eat you in the first five minutes.” 

Sam snorted a laugh and released him, sliding a hand down Gabriel’s arm until he could tangle their fingers together.  “You’ll protect me, right?”

Anna sighed, watching them.  “You guys are adorable,” she said.   “Come on, Mother’s in the sitting room.”

Sam and Gabriel grabbed their bags from the trunk and followed her slim figure up the marble steps and through the heavy mahogany door.  Inside, Sam looked around with awe on his face, still gripping Gabriel’s hand tight. 

Gabriel glanced at their surroundings with fresh eyes.  It _was_ a little intimidating, he had to admit.  High vaulted ceilings soared over hardwood floors and rich paneled walls, and Sam was clearly trying not to gape.

Anna was beckoning them through the door to the sitting room, and Gabriel squeezed Sam’s hand. 

“Time to face the music,” he muttered.  They left their bags in the hall and made for the doorway.

Inside, his mother rose to greet him, presenting a cool cheek for him to dutifully peck.

“Gabriel, darling, how lovely,” she murmured.  “Introduce me to your beau.”

“Mother, this is Sam,” Gabriel said.  “Sam’s my neighbor and, uh…boyfriend.”  He still wasn’t used to that word, dammit.  “Sam, my mother, Juliet.”

Sam stepped forward, holding out his hand to Gabriel’s mother. “It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am,” he said, flashing that gorgeous smile.  Gabe’s told me a lot about you.”

Juliet smiled back at him, accepting his hand.  “How very nice,” she said.  “We, on the other hand, know almost nothing about you.”

Sam let go of her hand and stepped back, his smile not slipping a notch as he tugged Gabriel against him.  “Well, I’m here now, so maybe we can remedy that.”

“Indeed,” Juliet mused. 

Gabriel poked his head out of the billowing sleeve of Sam’s hoodie enough to ask, “Where are Michael and Dad?”

“Skeet-shooting,” Juliet said, making a dainty moue of disgust.  “Dinner’s in an hour.  Why don’t you take Sam up to your room and you can freshen up and rest a little before we eat?”

Gabriel blinked, panic welling.  “Sam doesn’t get his own room?”

“Why would he need his own room?” his mother asked, tilting her head.

“Because…the last time I brought someone home for a visit, you put us on opposite sides of the _house!”_ Gabriel sputtered.

A small smile was playing on Juliet’s lips.  “You were seventeen at the time, remember?  You might have been having sex -”

“ _Might?_ ” Anna muttered, and Gabriel shot her an annoyed look.

“But there was no way I was going to condone that,” Juliet continued, ignoring her daughter. “Now, however, you are an adult. What you do with your boyfriend is no longer any of my business.”

Gabriel fought back a groan and Sam’s arm tightened around him.

“That’s fine, Mrs. Novak,” Sam assured her.  “I _am_ feeling pretty unkempt after two and a half days in the car, Gabe.  I’d love to grab a shower before we eat.”

Gabriel stifled a sigh and led the way out of the room and up the steps, grabbing their bags as they went.

His room was at the top of the house, as far away from the rest of the bedrooms as possible, which meant it was tucked up under the eaves. 

Gabriel pushed the door open and sighed, inhaling the familiar scents of modeling clay and flowers; clearly Anna had been in to straighten up and change the sheets. Memories of summers here rushed in, sprawled on the huge bed with golden sunlight flooding the space, doodling in his sketchpad and pining over the cute boy who worked in the florist’s shop across the ice cream parlor who would smile at him sometimes.

Sam let out a low whistle, crowding up against him, and Gabriel started and stepped aside so the taller man could enter the room.

“Nice,” Sam said, setting his bag on the floor and collapsing backward on the bed with a happy groan.  “Even if you have to trek through Siberia to get here; what’s up with that?”

Gabriel shrugged, studiously avoiding looking at Sam’s flat belly where his shirt had ridden up.  “When the choices are my family or solitude, I’m gonna choose solitude every time.  Bathroom’s through there -” He pointed and Sam turned to take note of the door on the other side of the room.  “If you really do want a shower, might wanna get started. My mother does not appreciate tardiness, and I don’t want to start off with a bad impression.”

“Roger that!” Sam said, and hopped up.  “Wanna come in and talk to me while I do that?  I have some more questions about your family.”

Gabriel winced.  Did Sam really expect him to actually be able to form coherent sentences with him _naked_ only a few feet away?

Sam didn’t notice, digging in his duffel for his toiletry kit and a change of clothing. When he straightened and looked at Gabriel expectantly, Gabriel sighed and nodded.  This was punishment for the sins of his past, clearly.

He trailed after the lanky young man and settled himself on the cover of the toilet seat as Sam began to strip.  Gabriel was trying desperately not to look, but flashes of warm brown skin were revealed as Sam peeled off his shirt and pants, and Gabriel shifted his weight, cursing silently.

Clad in nothing but tight black boxers, Sam leaned into the huge shower stall and turned the water on, adjusting the temperature.

“So,” he said, leaning against the glass door and crossing his arms across his chest. “What does Michael do?”

“Works with Dad,” Gabriel said, keeping his head down and plucking at a loose thread on his khakis.

“Investment banker, right?”

Gabriel nodded.

“And what does his fiancée do?” Sam asked.

Gabriel shrugged.  “Don’t actually know,” he admitted.  “I’ve never met her.”

“They’re engaged and you’ve never met her?” Sam demanded. 

“I live halfway across the country!” Gabriel said defensively.  “I didn’t even come home for Christmas last year!”

Sam tested the water, made a satisfied noise, and stripped off his boxers without warning, stepping into the shower and shutting the door.

Gabriel bit down hard on his hand, willing his erection away, but it wasn’t listening to him. _God,_ Sam was utterly, unselfconsciously gorgeous; all lean muscle and tan skin, soft brown hair falling over those bright green eyes, and Gabriel was going to die before this week was out, he was convinced of it.

“How come you didn’t go home for Christmas?” Sam asked, his voice echoing in the shower stall.

Gabriel attempted to gather his thoughts and steer them away from what Sam’s hands must be doing, lathering up and sliding all over that toned body, leaving streaks of bubbles behind…

“Gabe?” Sam prompted.

Gabriel blinked, startled out of his reverie.  “Oh, um…I was working on the hummingbird.  Couldn’t leave.  My parents offered to send the plane for me, but I didn’t want to take that much time.”

“Send the plane,” Sam repeated, voice flat with disbelief.  “Your folks own a private plane.”

“Well, we own a third of it,” Gabriel said, resisting the urge to hide his face. He knew exactly how pretentious it sounded, and Sam apparently agreed, opening the door to peer out at him, soap suds all over his beautiful face.

“Anyway,” Gabriel said hastily, “I told my mom I was working straight through and couldn’t make it home, and I spent Christmas Day welding bits of metal and glass together and drinking unspiked eggnog.  It was pretty boring.”

“I wish I’d known,” Sam said, shutting off the water, and his voice echoed and bounced around the suddenly quiet room.  “I could’ve at least come over and kept you company, maybe baked something for you while you were working.”

Gabriel’s mind flooded with images that he was helpless to resist. Sam wearing Gabriel’s apron, flour on the end of his nose, laughing at Gabriel across the kitchen that smelled like cinnamon and nutmeg and currants.  Sam tossing currants to Gabriel and Gabriel trying to catch them in his mouth. Sam feeding Gabriel a piece of sticky bread, long fingers covered in syrup, licking them clean after he slipped the bite between Gabriel’s lips…

He stood up just as Sam opened the shower door, snaking one long arm out and grabbing the towel hanging on the rack.

“I have to go,” Gabriel managed, and bolted before Sam emerged. 


	4. Chapter 4

Sam toweled off with a frown, replaying their conversation.  Had he said something wrong?  Maybe it had been pushing things, showering in front of Gabriel, but they were supposed to be serious about each other and Gabriel was still so stiff and uptight around him.  They needed to be comfortable together in every possible way, right?

Sam sighed and began pulling on clean clothes.  He was lying to himself again; something he was particularly good at. It might’ve started out as Sam trying to help Gabriel get more comfortable with him, but somewhere along the way it had changed into Sam trying to get Gabriel to realize how much he wanted him, and none of it was working.

The body shots had been amazing and Sam had never been so aroused in his life as he had been straddling Gabriel’s tense form, licking salt off Gabriel’s collarbone, plotting where he was going to salt him next.  He’d wanted to do it on Gabriel’s stomach, right on top of the little belly roll that made Sam’s toes curl.  _God,_ he just wanted to sink his teeth into that bit of pudge, lick and suck and bite until Gabriel was shaking and whimpering and covered in teeth marks…

But then Gabriel had scrambled out from under him.  He’d _flinched_ when Sam had reached for him, and hadn’t been able to look him in the eye the rest of the night. It was glaringly obvious to Sam that Gabriel wasn’t attracted to him that way, something borne out by the way Gabriel stiffened and pulled away every time Sam touched him.

Fine. Sam was a big boy. He could handle rejection, and he’d still do his job and help sell this to Gabriel’s family.  And if it meant he could enjoy a little more physical contact with Gabriel in the meantime…well, he wasn’t a robot. Gabriel didn’t need to know that Sam was spinning scenarios out in his mind when he wrapped his arm around Gabriel’s slim shoulders, or when he tangled their fingers together, imagining Gabriel reciprocating, pushing him down and climbing into his lap and crushing their mouths together, sliding his fingers into Sam’s hair…

Sam sighed. He was _so screwed._

 

When he came out of the bathroom, Gabriel was nowhere to be seen. Shrugging, Sam padded barefoot to the window, leaning against the wall and gazing down at brown fields that stretched out as far as he could see.  White-capped mountains rose in the distance, snowy peaks indistinct among the clouds. Closer to home, a small herd of sheep grazed, their fleece bright against the sere brown of the grass. Sam blinked, looking closer. Was that…a donkey?

The door opened behind him and Sam turned to see Gabriel slipping inside, wearing clean clothes, damp hair falling over his high forehead.

The shorter man smiled up at him, no hint of awkwardness on his mobile features. “Figured I should shower too, so to save time, I just used the bathroom down the hall.  Dinner’s in ten minutes.”

“Okay,” Sam said.  “Gabe, is that a donkey down there with the sheep?”

“Oh yeah,” Gabriel said cheerfully, moving to the window to look out. “That’s Harold.”

“And _why_ is there a donkey in with the sheep?” Sam asked.

“Oh, he’s the guard donkey,” Gabriel said.  He pushed away from the window and picked up his duffel, dropping it on the bed and beginning to rummage in it. 

Sam waited but Gabriel was busy pulling out clothes and shoving them into the dresser beside the bed.

Finally Sam sighed.  “Gabriel, if you don’t tell me what a guard donkey is, I swear to God I will tickle you until you do.”

Gabriel shot him a grin.  “I’m not ticklish, Sammy, but nice try.”  He lifted out a pile of boxers and squeezed them into the overflowing drawer, pushing it shut with a triumphant noise.  He glanced up and the look on Sam’s face made him blink.  “Okay, _fine,_ ” he said hastily. “Donkeys are herd animals, right?”

Sam shrugged. “If you say so.”

“I say so,” Gabriel said.  “And they’re also naturally protective, so farmers and ranchers discovered awhile ago that if they put a donkey in with a flock of sheep or goats, the donkey will actually chase off and/or kill anything that tries to attack the flock, like coyotes or wolves.  They’ve even been known to take on bobcats, but that’s a little rarer.”

Sam’s mouth was hanging open, he knew.  He glanced back outside, at the unassuming brownish-grey blob among the white of the sheep’s fleeces.  “They’ll fend off bobcats and wolves?” he finally asked.

Gabriel nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed and pulling his socks on.

“That’s… _badass_ ,” Sam said.

“No argument here,” Gabriel said as he stepped into his shoes. He lifted an eyebrow at Sam. “You want to put some shoes and socks on, or would you prefer to meet the rest of my family in your bare feet?”

 

Downstairs, Sam was glad he’d taken the time to put his shoes on. Not only was he already feeling a little underdressed, but he needed all the armor he could get, he decided when they walked into the dining room with its vaulted ceilings and an honest-to-God actual crystal chandelier suspended above the enormous, gleaming mahogany table.

Two men stood as Sam edged a little closer to Gabriel, tugging at his suit jacket, and Gabriel sent him a reassuring smile, bumping him gently with his shoulder.

“They’re not going to eat _you,_ Winchester,” he said under his breath.  “Remember to breathe.”

Sam shot him a dirty look but then the burly middle-aged man reached them, holding out a hand.

“Winslow Novak,” he said.  “You must be Sam.”

Sam shook his hand.  “Yes sir. It’s very nice to meet you. Thank you for having me.”

The other man stepped forward, a smile on his lean face that didn’t quite reach his crystal blue eyes.  “Hello, Gabriel,” he said, not taking his gaze from Sam.  “So glad you could find time in your busy schedule to come to my wedding.”

Sam bristled but Michael was holding out a hand and Sam reluctantly accepted it. Gabriel snorted beside him.

“Sam, my charming and self-centered older brother, Michael,” he said.

Sam relaxed a little.  Gabriel didn’t sound too upset.

“Well, where’s this famous fiancée of yours?” he asked Michael, who gestured to a slim brunette woman, rising from the table.

“Felicity, my brother Gabriel.  Gabriel, Felicity Ryan.”

Gabriel held out a hand but Felicity gave a very unladylike snort and hugged him before turning to Sam and giving him the same treatment.  She smelled like gardenias and hugged like she meant it, smiling up at Sam with amusement in her dark brown eyes.

“It’s very nice to meet you both,” she said.  “How was your drive?”

“Long,” Sam said, grinning back at her.  “Filled with busted water pipes, gay bars, and farmer’s markets.”

Gabriel groaned, next to him, but Felicity gasped delightedly and grabbed Sam’s hand, tugging him toward the table.

“You’re sitting beside me,” she informed him, “so you can tell me all about this in excruciating detail.”

Sam latched onto Gabriel’s wrist as he was dragged past, pulling him along and suppressing a laugh at the look on the shorter man’s face. When they were settled, Sam looped an arm around Gabriel’s neck and pulled him close.  To the rest of the table, it looked like casual affection between lovers as Sam murmured in Gabriel’s ear.

“If you think I’m letting you get more than five feet away from me this entire week,” he whispered, “you’re very, very wrong.”

He dropped a kiss on Gabriel’s temple, a brief brush of lips for the five pairs of eyes trained on them, and straightened, smiling at Juliet Novak, sitting poised and upright at the far end of the table.

“I hope we weren’t too late,” Sam said.  Gabriel was completely stiff beside him, barely even breathing, Sam thought.

Juliet smiled at him.  “You were right on time, in fact,” she said.

Sam took a deep, appreciative breath.  “It smells amazing,” he said honestly.  His mouth was watering at the spread before him, roast beef, tender green peas, roasted asparagus, golden dinner rolls, and mashed potatoes.

“Francis has been with us for nearly as long as Gabriel has been alive,” Juliet said, making a gesture for them to begin filling their plates.  “We stole him from the Finleys and never regretted it.”

Gabriel leaned toward Sam.  “Rebecca Finley never spoke to her again.” His eyes were dancing, and Sam couldn’t help the smile.

Juliet lifted a delicate shoulder.  “Rebecca Finley drives a Chevrolet,” she said serenely, and made it sound like a mortal sin.

Winslow leaned forward, fixing Sam with a gimlet eye.  “What do you do, Sam?” he asked.

Sam swallowed his mouthful hastily.  “I’m a customer service representative for the local cable company, sir,” he said.

Novak’s eyebrows shot toward his hairline.  “Are you now,” he mused.  “How very…interesting.”

“It pays the bills,” Sam said mildly. 

“Are you in college?” Michael asked.

Sam blinked. “Ah…no.  I graduated from college three years ago.”

“And you just…took a job working for a cable company?” Michael said. “Is that what you wanted to grow up to do when you were a little boy?”

“Michael!” Felicity snapped as Gabriel was opening his mouth, his eyes bright with fury.  “Apologize to Sam right now. That was uncalled for.”

“I’m sorry, Sam,” Michael said after a minute.  “Felicity’s right.  I was rude.”

Gabriel’s mouth stayed open and he swiveled his head to stare between Michael and his fiancée, who had gone back to her potatoes with a nod.

“Sam,” he said, “I don’t suppose you were secretly recording that conversation, were you?”

Sam shook his head.

“Pity,” Gabriel commented.  “I’m fairly sure that’s the first time he’s ever apologized in his life.”

“Oh no,” Felicity said, spearing a piece of asparagus and shooting Michael a fond look. “I make him apologize at least three times a week, whether he needs to or not.  Helps keep him humble.”

Gabriel sputtered a disbelieving laugh and Sam’s lips curved upward. Across the table, Michael was fighting a smile of his own, gazing affectionately at Felicity.

“Clearly,” Gabriel said, “I should’ve met you a long time ago, Felicity.”

“Clearly,” Felicity agreed, and ate another piece of asparagus.

 

They ended up in the sitting room after dinner.  Anna and Gabriel’s parents each took a chair, leaving the two couches for the couples.

Sam felt Gabriel falter next to him and made up his mind, heading for the bigger of the two couches.  He sank into its cushions with a happy moan and wriggled a little, getting comfortable.

Gabriel stared down at him.  “You’ve been sitting all _day_ , dude. Why are you acting like you’ve been on your feet for a week?”

Sam reached out and caught Gabriel’s arm, tugging.  Caught unawares, Gabriel toppled forward with an undignified squawk, ending up with his nose pressed into Sam’s shoulder, Sam’s arms wrapped around him as they sprawled chest to chest.

“So much better than being cooped up in your rattletrap car,” Sam said, and loosened his grip, pushing and pulling until Gabriel got the hint and turned so that his back was pressed to Sam’s front, nestled between Sam’s legs.

Felicity and Michael were watching, a smile on Felicity’s pretty mouth.

“Aren’t they cute?” she murmured to Michael, and he rolled his eyes.

“Lissie, you’re asking me to comment on whether my endlessly annoying _little brother_ is cute.  You realize that I cannot in good conscience touch that one, right?”

Felicity laughed and drew his head down to meet his lips, and Gabriel sighed, relaxing in the circle of Sam’s arms, his soft hair brushing Sam’s cheek.

Sam was afraid to breathe, terrified of spooking Gabriel, loving the feeling of that small, sturdy body in his arms and the way Gabriel somehow _fit,_ comfortable and warm and pliant against him.

Winslow moved to the fireplace and stirred the embers.  “So, Sam, how did you and Gabriel meet?”

Gabriel stiffened slightly in Sam’s arms and Sam patted his thigh. They’d planned for this.

“Well, sir,” he began, “I moved in not long after Gabe.  I’d had my eye on the place for a while and when the tenant moved out, I was next on the waiting list.  I moved in at the beginning of the month, and Gabe saw me trying to get my dresser up the steps by myself.”

He smiled into Gabriel’s hair, his cheek still resting on top of Gabriel’s head. “He volunteered to help. Of course, he complained the entire time, about how he wasn’t built for manual labor, how he was ornamental, not useful, but he worked really hard and I asked him out as soon as all my boxes were inside.”

Gabriel rolled his head sideways so he could glare up at Sam.  They hadn’t discussed _this._ Sam grinned down at him.

“You’re definitely ornamental,” he told him, and slid one finger under Gabriel’s chin, tilting his head up so he could press their lips together.

Gabriel was utterly still with shock, his breath puffing against Sam’s cheek in tiny gusts, and Sam moved his finger from Gabriel’s chin to cup his jaw instead.

_Relax,_ he willed the other man. _Trust me._  

Sam held the kiss, licking gently at the seam of Gabriel’s mouth until Gabriel shuddered and his lips parted.  Sam was in, and he pressed forward, savoring Gabriel’s shaky moan and the way Gabriel’s hand tightened convulsively on Sam’s wrist.

“Really, Gabriel?” Juliet said, her voice sharp, and Sam and Gabriel startled apart with a breathy laugh.

Gabriel’s golden eyes were dazed, his lips red and kiss-swollen, and Sam wanted nothing more than to crowd him back against the sofa and kiss him until the sun went down, until Gabriel had forgotten everything but Sam’s name trembling in his mouth, his lungs, Sam’s desires mapped out on his skin.

Instead Sam turned to Juliet, giving her his best smile as Gabriel relaxed against him. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Your son is irresistible.”

Juliet just lifted an eyebrow.  “I realize that Gabriel is very tactile, but we don’t usually indulge in…‘PDAs’,” she said, distaste sharpening her words.

“I’ll do my best to keep my hands to myself,” Sam said, and dropped a light kiss on Gabriel’s hair.  “Can’t promise anything, though.”

They spent over an hour in the sitting room and Gabriel never did fully relax until they’d said their goodnights and were climbing the stairs to the bedroom.

“Sorry about that,” Sam said in a low voice.  “Just…felt like the thing to do.  I hope I didn’t make you too uncomfortable.”

Gabriel snorted a laugh, two steps above him as they climbed.  “I think they bought it,” he murmured.  He gave him a cheeky grin over his shoulder. “Race you to the room!” He was off before Sam had a chance to react, and Sam swore under his breath and dashed after him.

Gabriel beat him to the door by less than a foot, eyes bright with triumph, and they tumbled through into the room on a wave of laughter.

“Too slow!” Gabriel crowed, and poked Sam in the ribs.  Sam recoiled with a high-pitched yelp, trying to cover with a cough, but it was too late.  Gabriel’s eyes lit up and he took a step forward.

Sam took a step back at the same time, his shoulder blades bumping against the door. “Um,” he said eloquently.

“Sammy,” Gabriel purred.  “Sam, Sam, Sammy. Are you ticklish, Sammy-my-lad?”

Sam shook his head frantically.  “No. Nope.  Definitely _not_ ticklish. At all.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed.  “And yet somehow, I find I don’t believe you.  I think I need to subject you to a lie detector test.”

_Oh God._   Sam gulped and Gabriel pounced, fingers somehow unerringly finding the most sensitive spot on Sam’s ribs.  Sam squawked and collapsed, folding in on himself, and Gabriel followed him down, those clever fingers dancing over Sam’s sides.

Sam bucked and twisted on the floor, dragging in a lungful of air and losing it all again on a wave of helpless giggles as Gabriel found another spot with perfect aim.

“Oh God, oh _help_ ,” Sam spluttered, writhing and twisting.  He was sprawled in an untidy heap, arms and legs everywhere, and Gabriel was pinning him down, one strong arm across his chest as the other explored Sam’s ribs and stomach.

Sam _squeaked_ as Gabriel found another spot, grinning triumphantly.  His hair was falling out of its carefully gelled back state, flopping into his eyes, and Sam poked himin the ribs.

“How do _you_ like it?” he growled.

Gabriel grunted but didn’t move away, dragging his fingers up Sam’s side and into Sam’s armpit.

“Not ticklish, kiddo, remember?” he said even as Sam convulsed, trying desperately to avoid the fingers that were driving him insane.

Sam dragged in air in a desperate whoop, choking on giggles.  “Je- _sus,_ you’re gonna… _kill_ me, Gabe, have mercy!”

“Say uncle,” Gabriel demanded.

_“Uncle!”_ Sam shouted and Gabriel stopped instantly.

“Oh thank _God,_ ” Sam whimpered, and then the reality of their situation rushed in on him.  He was flat on his back, Gabriel stretched across his chest, their faces mere inches away.  He stared up into Gabriel’s eyes, alive with laughter, and had to force down a wild urge to kiss that beautiful mouth again, taste his lips and tongue, feel that shivery moan that seemed to run all the way through Gabriel’s body when he was touched.

They sprang apart at the same time, Gabriel scrambling to his feet and Sam rolling in the opposite direction and up onto his knees.

Gabriel sent him a smile.  “Long day tomorrow. Hiking in the morning, shopping in the city in the afternoon.  Plus I have to take you to the ice cream parlor at least once, see if Jo’s still working there.”

Sam got to his feet and turned in a circle, looking for his duffel. It had gotten kicked across the floor and was peeking out from half under the bed.

“I’ll just, uh…change,” he said, scooping up the bag and making a dash for the bathroom.  Safely inside with the door closed, he whimpered soundlessly, stuffing a fist into his mouth. Damn those golden eyes and that bright smile, not to mention those amazing hands.

Biting his lip, he turned on the sink and pulled his cock out, stripping himself with quick, almost brutal efficiency.  It took less than two minutes before he was shaking and shuddering, pulsing into the sink in long, trembling waves.

Sam gripped the counter with both hands and rested his forehead against the mirror with a quiet groan.  The coming week was going to be _hell._


	5. Chapter 5

Gabriel crawled into the bed, curling up in a ball on the far side of the mattress. He couldn’t stop replaying the events of that evening over in his head.  He’d warned Sam that they’d be expected to cuddle, that his parents would find it odd if they didn’t, but he hadn’t counted on Sam taking it a step past that.

Surely, no one who kissed like that was truly uninterested?  Gabriel pulled his pillow over his head and stifled a whimper. If there was one thing he’d learned about Sam, it was that the lanky young man was the most generous, kindhearted individual Gabriel had ever met.

Of course Sam wasn’t interested in Gabriel in that way.  Why would he be?  But he was playing the role he’d been assigned, and doing a spectacular job. The last thing he needed was Gabriel making it complicated by adding feelings to the mix.

The bed dipped as Sam crawled in the other side.  Gabriel concentrated on keeping his breathing even, glad his back was turned, as Sam got comfortable. 

“You awake?” Sam breathed.

Gabriel didn’t move, and Sam sighed quietly.

“Goodnight, Gabe,” he whispered, and silence descended on the room.

 

Gabriel woke up the next morning with a long, delicious line of heat pressed against his back, a chin hooked over his shoulder and soft breaths fluttering the hair behind his ear.

Sam’s arm was draped over his waist, heavy with sleep, and Gabriel closed his eyes, torn.  On one hand, he really should get out of bed without waking Sam up, keep this from being more awkward than it had to be.  On the other hand, he was so comfortable, and Sam felt so… _right_ , wrapped around him.

Anna solved his dilemma by opening the door and walking in before Gabriel could come to a decision.  Sam gasped and sat up straight, blinking wildly, and Gabriel rolled over to face the doorway, scowling at his sister.

“What do you want, brat?” he said.

“Breakfast in thirty minutes,” Anna said cheerfully.  “Kate and Tasha and Garth are here and we’re all going hiking after we eat. So get your lazy asses in gear.”

Sam flopped back on the pillows beside Gabriel, staring up at the ceiling. His hair was a tousled mess and Gabriel itched to run his fingers through it.

Instead he flapped a hand at his sister.  “Fine. Go away.”

“Why, so you can ravish Sam without an audience?” Anna asked, snickering, but she left, pulling the door closed behind her.

“Sorry,” Gabriel murmured.

Sam turned his head on the pillow and smiled at him.  “’S’okay.  Sleep well?”

“Reasonably,” Gabriel allowed.  “Don’t want to go hiking.”

Sam snorted a laugh.  “I get the impression that you’re not a fan of most physical activities.”

“ _Most,_ ” Gabriel agreed, grinning. “There are a few that I can see the point of.”

“Well, I walked into that one,” Sam said, groaning.  “Come on then, you can shave while I’m showering and then we’ll swap.” He slid out of bed in a tangle of limbs, stretching and yawning.

Gabriel looked his fill, admiring the curve of Sam’s lower back and the way his t-shirt stretched and pulled across his shoulder blades. He looked away when Sam glanced behind him, though, feeling like a pervert, and scrambled out of bed.

Shaving and showering was done in a mostly comfortable silence, with Gabriel’s eyes fixed firmly on his own reflection in the mirror as Sam stripped behind him and stepped into the shower stall.

Gabriel finished shaving and slipped by Sam into the shower stall, studiously avoiding contact with Sam’s very naked and wet body, shucking his clothes inside the safer confines of the frosted glass.

When he got out of the shower, Sam wasn’t in the bathroom.  Gabriel found him in the bedroom, lying on the bed in a laughing fit.

“Sam?” Gabriel asked, concerned.

Sam was giggling too hard to answer.  He pointed at the open bedside table drawer and Gabriel stared at him a minute and then looked in the drawer.

 _“_ Oh… _God,_ ” he moaned.

 _Someone,_ and Gabriel fervently hoped it hadn’t been his mother, had made sure that he and Sam were fully stocked with any and all supplies they needed, including several different flavors – _flavors!_ – of lube and varying sizes of condoms.

Gabriel’s face was on _fire._ He slammed the drawer shut and turned to look at Sam, who was still laughing.

“Shut up,” Gabriel said, and Sam flapped a hand at him.

“So… _thoughtful!_ ” he gasped.

Gabriel glared at him. He sat down to pull on his shoes as Sam entertained himself with various suggestions for using the supplies.  He had quite the imagination, Gabriel had to give him that much.

 

Fully dressed, they clattered down the stairs to the dining room, where the entire family, along with several strangers, was gathered.

Sam hung back a little and Gabriel grasped his wrist and pulled him forward to meet the new people.

Kate and Tasha were sisters, young and pretty and blonde, friends of Anna’s. Garth, Gabriel already knew. They’d hung out some before Gabriel moved east.  The scrawny young man greeted him with an enthusiastic hug that Gabriel returned with a laugh and a slap on the back.

“Good to see you, man!” Garth said, and stuck out a hand to Sam.

Gabriel made the introductions and breakfast passed peacefully enough.

Gabriel’s parents were talking quietly to each other at the other end of the table and it wasn’t until the meal was nearly over before his father caught Gabriel’s eye.

“So, Gabriel, how goes the art?”

Gabriel swallowed his mouthful of eggs.  “It goes fine, Dad, thanks for asking.”  He knew what was coming, but still he couldn’t help tensing.

“Does it?” Winslow asked, leaning back in his chair.  “Because from what I hear, you’re not doing that well. You’ve only sold a few pieces so far this year.  Seems to me I’m supporting you more than you are.”

Sam was utterly still next to Gabriel.

“You know my offer still stands for you to come work with me and Michael,” Winslow continued. “You’d actually make enough to support yourself _and_ dabble in your little pieces on the weekends.”

“Gabriel’s being modest,” Sam said, and covered Gabriel’s hand with his own.

Gabriel shot a startled look at him but said nothing as the table quieted to hear the discussion.

Winslow arched an eyebrow.  “Is that so?”

“It is,” Sam said firmly.  “He’s actually going to have a feature article in a big magazine coming up soon. His sales are going to skyrocket.”

Gabriel opened his mouth and Sam squeezed his hand.  Gabriel’s mouth snapped shut and he sat still.

“Interesting,” Winslow mused.  “Well, I look forward to reading about it.”

Michael leaned forward and caught Felicity’s eye.  “As soon as you’re ready, Lissie, we should get going.” He glanced at Gabriel but said nothing as Felicity dabbed her mouth with her napkin and rose.

Had Sam _and_ Michael just rescued him? Gabriel’s head was spinning, and he allowed Sam to pull him to his feet and out the door to the SUV that was waiting for them without protest.

In the backseat, Sam wrapped a long arm around Gabriel and pulled him close. “Sorry,” he murmured, his warm breath stirring the hair above Gabriel’s ear.  “I just couldn’t stand that tone of condescension any longer.”

Gabriel leaned into his solid warmth.  “It’s fine. We’ll talk about it later.”

Anna squeezed in on Gabriel’s other side, pinching his leg until he scooted over enough to let her in, and Michael turned from the driver’s seat as the others piled into the back row.

“Ready to go?”

 

They drove for about an hour, up into the mountains north of the city, until Michael found the trailhead he was looking for and everyone climbed out.

Gabriel stomped his feet a few times and caught Sam watching him.

“New boots?” Sam asked.

Gabriel shrugged.  “I didn’t have any hiking gear.  Figured I’d better be at least a _little_ prepared.”

They struck out onto the trail, Michael and Felicity in the lead, Sam and Gabriel bringing up the rear. 

It was a gorgeous day, clear and sunny with just a hint of bite to the air, and Gabriel took an appreciative breath as ahead of them, Garth and Tasha bickered and Kate tried to mediate.

The redwoods grew massive in this part of the state, blocking out the sun and dappling the shade on the path.  Gabriel hopped a downed limb blocking his way and caught up with Anna as Sam lagged behind a little to examine something that had caught his attention.

Anna gave him an easy smile.  “I like your boyfriend,” she said.

Gabriel grinned back at her.  “I kind of like him too,” he said honestly.

“So _do_ you have an interview with a magazine?” Anna asked.

“Of course he does,” Sam said from behind them before Gabriel could answer. “It won’t happen until we get back, of course, but it’s gonna be awesome.”

Gabriel bit his tongue.  What the hell did Sam think he was doing, anyway?

He kept silent as Sam peppered Anna with questions about her latest cause – something to do with whales and ambergris, but Gabriel wasn’t really paying attention. It was going well so far, he thought. Sam was comfortable with him physically, and Gabriel was enjoying the cuddling that Sam initiated more than he’d even expected to.

Sam’s arms were waving as he described something to Anna, who looked enthralled. Sam glanced over his shoulder and grinned at Gabriel.  “I’m telling her about the hummingbird,” he said.

“You really love that piece, don’t you?” Gabriel said, smiling back at him.

“You have no idea,” Sam said.  He slowed down and took Gabriel’s hand as Anna kept pace, listening.  “Before we met, I used to go to the library to read. I would sit where I could see the sunlight hit the stained glass, because it would set up this refracting rainbow all over the room, and I felt like…I don’t know, like I was in a holy place. I wondered who had made it, who’d spent all their time crafting all those tiny bits just right to catch the light and create so much beauty.  I always left feeling so peaceful and…restored, kind of.  And then I found out _you_ made it?”  He shrugged, rubbing Gabriel’s knuckles with his thumb.  “I was starstruck, just a little bit.”

Gabriel was staring at him, his mouth hanging open.  For the life of him, he couldn’t think of anything to say, and Sam just tilted his head and smiled at him.

Anna sighed. “That is so romantic,” she said.

 

They hiked for several hours, through the trees well up the mountain’s slope. Gabriel made a mental note to ask what mountain they were climbing before discarding that idea. He didn’t have to know the name of it to hate it. 

His feet were killing him.  That salesman had been a filthy liar.  _Didn’t need breaking in,_ indeed.  Gabriel scowled, envisioning several very satisfying revenge scenarios, involving live scorpions and possibly fire ants.

He winced as he stepped over a puddle and the boot pulled at the blisters forming. Sam glanced at him.

“Okay?”

“Fine,” Gabriel said, tone clipped.  He could do this.  He was a _man._

He nearly wept with relief when Michael called a halt for lunch at a rest stop with several picnic tables.  Gabriel propped his feet up on a table and ate roast beef sandwiches prepared by Francis while Sam talked to Garth.

Anna leaned against him, sighing happily.  “So, little brother, what are you doing for Sam’s birthday?”

Gabriel stiffened.  “His…what?”

Anna sat up and gave him a suspicious look.  “His…birthday?  The one tomorrow?”

 _Shit._ Sam had a _birthday_ coming up? 

“Right,” Gabriel improvised hastily.  “His birthday. It’s a surprise, blabbermouth.  And anyway, how do _you_ know about it?”

“He mentioned it when we were talking,” Anna said, shrugging.  “Are you going all out?  Throwing a huge party?”

“Sam hates huge gatherings,” Gabriel said automatically.  “He’d prefer something small, more intimate.”

“Well, you know best,” Anna said, and changed the subject.  Gabriel nodded in what he hoped were the right spots as she talked, his mind whirling again.  What was he going to _do?_

He groaned internally when Michael announced it was time to return to the vehicle, but stood up without comment.  Just two more hours on his very blistered feet.  He could do this.  Besides, it was downhill now.  He totally had this.

Half an hour in, Sam was casting worried looks at him.  Gabriel was concentrating too hard on keeping his strides even and his face pleasant to actually engage in conversation, and Sam clearly suspected something. 

“Gabe…you sure you’re okay?”

“Fine,” Gabriel said tersely.  He was pretty sure his feet were bleeding, but he would die before admitting that.

Sam huffed an annoyed breath and stepped in front of him, forcing Gabriel to stop.

“The hell?” Gabriel said.

Sam arched an eyebrow and turned around so his back was to Gabriel and knelt down on the path.

“I repeat, the _hell?_ ” Gabriel said.

“Get on,” Sam said over his shoulder.

The others had stopped to watch and Gabriel had to fight the urge to cover his face.

“This isn’t happening,” he said.

“Get. On,” Sam said again.

“Yeah Gabe,” Garth said.  “Get on so we can go already!”

“I’m not ‘getting on’, Sam,” Gabriel hissed.  “You are _insane._   I am a grown man and I weigh a hundred sixty pounds, I’m _not_ getting on your back!”

Sam shot him a grin.  “Dude, I’ve carried heavier for longer.  Hop the fuck on already, would you?”

“It’s true,” Anna pointed out, “Sam _is_ mostly muscle.  I’m sure he can handle your weight.”

Gabriel wanted to sink into the ground. 

Sam sighed and turned to face him, still on his knees.  “Gabe.  You have two choices here.  You can let me give you a piggyback ride off this mountain, or I will pick you up and carry you down bridal-style.  One of the two. Either way, you’re not walking another foot in those damn boots.”

Gabriel stared at him and Sam arched an eyebrow, waiting.

“ _Fine,_ ” Gabriel snapped, and Sam grinned at him and turned around again.

Gabriel stepped forward and Sam leaned forward so that Gabriel was straddling his hips. As soon as he was settled, Sam stood up and Gabriel clutched his shoulders, suddenly airborne.

Sam linked his arms under Gabriel’s ass.  “Okay?” he said.

Gabriel pressed his face against Sam’s flannel shirt.  “Other than wanting to die of embarrassment, I am a-okay.”

“Good,” Sam said cheerfully, and began walking again.

Anna was walking backwards in front of them, grinning at Gabriel.

Gabriel pointed a warning finger at her.  “Make a single vampire joke and you will find yourself pranked every time you turn around for this entire _week._ ”

“Hey, I totally sparkle in the sun,” Sam protested.  “I thought you knew this about me, Gabe!”

Gabriel couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up.  “Well, it _is_ pretty rainy in New York. I guess I’ve never seen you in direct sunlight.”

“I’m much prettier than Edward, though,” Sam said.

“No argument there,” Anna piped up, and Sam laughed, the sound reverberating through Gabriel’s body.

Truthfully, the relief of being off his feet was making Gabriel a little lightheaded. He rested his cheek against Sam’s shoulder blade, feeling the muscles sliding and shifting with his movement, and closed his eyes, sighing. 

He let himself drift, swaying with Sam’s steps, and was startled out of his doze by a car door slamming.

“Hey,” Sam said gently.  “We’re here. Gonna put you down and look at your feet now, okay?”

He suited action to words, settling Gabriel sideways on the seat of the SUV and kneeling in front of him.

Gabriel hissed as Sam drew off the first boot.

“Jesus, Gabe,” Sam murmured.  His hand came away bloody when he touched Gabriel’s heel, and he looked up, brow furrowed. “You should’ve said something sooner, dammit.”

Gabriel shrugged.  “Didn’t realize it was quite that bad,” he said.

Sam’s hands were gentle as he pulled off the other boot and peeled away Gabriel’s socks, dropping them in a sodden heap next to him on the ground.

Anna leaned over Sam’s shoulder, wrinkling her nose.  “Gross,” she observed.

“Be elsewhere,” Gabriel suggested.

Anna snickered and left, joining the others as they talked at a picnic bench.

“Still want to do ice cream this afternoon?” Gabriel asked.

Sam’s brow creased further, and Gabriel determinedly didn’t notice how cute that was.

“Gabe, your feet are _bleeding._ You’re not walking anywhere else today.”

Gabriel shrugged.  “Slap some band-aids on, I’ll be fine,” he said.

Sam sighed and stood up as the rest of the group joined them and piled into the car. Felicity looked over the front seat, pretty face scrunched in sympathy. 

“How are you, Gabriel?”

Gabriel smiled at her as Sam slid onto the seat next to him and pulled Gabriel’s legs into his lap.  “I’ll live,” he told her. “It’s just some blisters.”

“You weren’t supposed to cripple yourself on our hike,” Michael informed him. “If you can’t walk Anna down the aisle, Felicity might have to kill you.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, bro,” Gabriel said, forcing cheer into his voice. Sam was – oh God, Sam was rubbing Gabriel’s calves, digging those long fingers into the muscles and teasing out the knots, and Gabriel wanted to cry with how good it felt.

He leaned his head back against the window and watched Sam’s profile as the young man bent over Gabriel’s legs in his lap.  It wasn’t long before he was dozing again, lulled to sleep by the sound of the engine and the gentleness of Sam’s touch.

 

Sam insisted on carrying Gabriel inside, deaf to his protests. 

“I can walk!” Gabriel complained, and Sam smiled down at him.

“Zip it or I will kiss you into silence,” he said.

That startled a laugh from Gabriel.  “Is that supposed to make me _stop_ talking?” he teased.

Sam rolled his eyes.  “You asked for it,” he said, and then his lips were on Gabriel’s for the second time and Gabriel sighed and opened for him, his arm tightening around Sam’s neck.  Sam’s thumb was rubbing tiny circles on Gabriel’s thigh and Gabriel felt warm, safe and cradled in Sam’s arms.  For a moment he allowed himself to be lost in the kiss, to believe that it was real, that Sam meant it, and then he steeled himself and drew away.

Sam blinked down at him, green eyes a little dazed, and Gabriel took a deep breath.

“Get a room,” Anna said, and pushed past them.

“And…there goes the moment,” Gabriel said, giving Sam a rueful smile.

“There will be others,” Felicity said, patting Gabriel’s knee.  “Sam, I’ll get the first-aid kit so you can dress his feet.”

Gabriel’s mother was in the front sitting room and she looked up from her book, startled, when Sam deposited Gabriel on the sofa.

“What on earth?” she said.

“New boots,” Gabriel said.

Juliet subsided.  “Don’t get blood on the upholstery, Gabriel,” she said, and went back to reading.

Sam shot her an incredulous look that she didn’t notice and knelt in front of Gabriel as Felicity hurried in with the first-aid kit.

Gabriel gritted his teeth as Sam swabbed the raw places on his heels, eyes intent on his job, huge hands gentle as they cradled Gabriel’s feet.

Finally he pronounced himself done, sticking the last plaster in place and sitting back.  Gabriel wiggled his toes.

“Looks like I’ll walk again, doc,” he said.

Sam shot him a grin.  “I’ll send you the bill.”

“Why wait?” Gabriel countered.  “I’ll pay you right now.”  He shouldn’t, he knew it was a bad idea, but he couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward and pressing his mouth to Sam’s again.

It was the first time he’d initiated, and he could tell himself he was doing it for his mother’s benefit all he wanted, but all he wanted was to taste Sam’s lips again, the way Sam kissed back as if there was nothing in the world he’d rather be doing, his eyes sliding closed and a hand coming up to cradle Gabriel’s jaw.

Juliet sighed sharply and stood up, slapping her book closed and stalking out of the room, her back ramrod straight.

Sam sat back on his heels, his eyes amused but with a thread of worry in them.  “Am I going to get you in trouble?” he asked in a low tone.

“For one thing, I’m a big boy,” Gabriel pointed out.  “What’s she going to do, ground me?  And for another, pretty sure _I_ just kissed _you._   So if there’s trouble, it’ll be of my own doing.”  He itched to smooth out the wrinkle in Sam’s forehead but he kept his hand by his side with an effort.  “Stop worrying,” he said instead.  “And thank you.”  He lifted a foot.  “For, you know…preventing gangrene and whatnot.”

Sam’s lips quirked.  “Any time.”

Felicity put her head in the door.  “The caterers will be here any minute.  I’m sorry, but I need the room so we can discuss the menu.”

“Of course,” Sam said immediately, and stood up, holding a hand out to Gabriel to pull him to his feet.

Felicity gave Gabriel a harried smile as he limped past.  “Feel better soon, Gabriel.”

 

Sam was behind him on the stairs, a warm presence hovering near, and Gabriel sent him an annoyed look.

“I’m not going to collapse,” he said.

“You might,” Sam said, but there was a smile flirting at the corners of his mouth.  “I don’t know how the sight of all that blood affected you.  Can’t have you fainting, can we?”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes.  “Hilarious, Winchester.”

“I thought so,” Sam agreed cheerfully, and proceeded to stay very nearly pressed up against Gabriel’s back all the way up to his room.

By the time they got there, Gabriel was having trouble concentrating.  Sam was warm and solid and Gabriel bit his lip, fighting the impulse to lean into him, pull his head down and steal another kiss.  But there was no one to see them, no pretense to keep up when they were alone, and so Gabriel just sighed inwardly and opened his bedroom door.

Sam followed him in and Gabriel collapsed face downward on the bed.

“So…ice cream tomorrow?” Sam asked, his voice amused, and Gabriel gave him a thumbs up, his face buried in the pillow.

Sam patted him on the shoulder.  “Have a good nap.”


	6. Chapter 6

When Gabriel woke up, he was alone in the room.  He padded to the window, stretching and yawning, and looked out. It was mid-afternoon, the sun over its zenith and the shadows lengthening over the fields.  Movement caught Gabriel’s eye and he squinted. Two people were on horseback, riding through the sheep pasture, and Gabriel pressed his face to the glass, trying to figure out who it was.

One was small and slim – had to be Anna.  She was the only one of his family that willingly got on a horse’s back. The other was tall and broad-shouldered, and something twisted in Gabriel’s belly when he realized that it was Sam.

 _It’s good,_ he told himself. _This gives you time to figure out birthday stuff for him, Gabe._  

He pulled out his phone and sent Anna a text. 

**\- Going town. Keep Sam occupied.**

It wasn’t long before he got a reply.

**\- Happily.**

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed and his thumbs danced over the phone’s surface.

**\- Hands OFF my boyfriend, brat.**

Anna didn’t answer, and Gabriel shoved his phone in his pocket and stepped into comfortable shoes, stifling a wince as they bumped the bandages on his heels. He could walk, though; that was the important thing.

He was out the door and in his car in a matter of minutes, heading for town. He had shopping to do.

 

When he came back, he sent Anna another text.

**\- Where is he?**

It wasn’t long before he got a reply.

\- **Sitting room. Coast clear.**

Gabriel gathered up his purchases and made a dash up the steps, through the front door, and up the stairs to his bedroom at top speed.  He locked the door behind him and spread everything out on the bed. Time to get to work.

He had everything wrapped and hidden in the closet when his phone buzzed and he scooped it up.

**\- Sam on way, couldn’t stall him anymore**

Gabriel did a quick sweep of the room.  Nothing but wrapping paper still out – he dove for it and shoved it under the bed as Sam pushed the door open and stopped dead at the sight of Gabriel bent double.

“Um.”

Gabriel straightened and smiled at him.  “Have a nice ride?”

Sam blinked, seeming to gather his thoughts.  “I…yeah.  I did, thanks. I thought you said your family was uniformly awful!”

It was Gabriel’s turn to blink.  “What?”

“Anna!” Sam said, shoving his hair out of his face and grinning at Gabriel. “She’s totally awesome, dude! And I think she knows more dirty jokes than Dean; it’s great!”

Gabriel sat down on the edge of the bed and summoned a smile.  “Anna _is_ hilarious when she wants to be,” he agreed. 

Sam sat down next to him.  “So what’s happening tomorrow?”

“Well, the bachelor party is tomorrow night,” Gabriel said, turning to put a little distance between them.  “Felicity said our afternoon is free, and then the day after tomorrow is the rehearsal dinner.”

“Ooh, a free day,” Sam said, flopping onto his back.  He laced his fingers across his belly and gazed at the ceiling. “It’s nice here,” he said quietly.

Gabriel sank down onto his side and propped his head on his elbow. Sam turned and met his eyes, smiling.

“How you doing, kiddo?” Gabriel asked quietly.

Sam shrugged. “I’m fine,” he said. “Don’t think much of your parents, you’re right, but they don’t scare me.  I just think they don’t appreciate you.”

Warmth spread under Gabriel’s ribcage at that.  “Or maybe they’re right and I haven’t tapped all my potential,” he said.

Sam rolled to face him, his eyes fierce.  “Don’t you say that,” he hissed.  “Don’t you _dare._   Gabe, you…you’re amazing, okay?  You’re got such an eye for beauty, you create incredible art. Have I mentioned the hummingbird lately?”

Gabriel couldn’t help his smile.  “Not in the last hour or so.”

Sam grinned back at him.  “You know how I feel about the hummingbird.  I love it so much. And anyone who can create beauty like that is just…you’re incredible, okay?  I’m not expressing myself very well, but basically you’re awesome and your parents are stupid.”

Gabriel snorted a laugh and then sobered.  Sam was so close Gabriel could feel his body heat, their arms brushing against each other. All he had to do was lean forward a few inches… He swallowed and looked at Sam’s lips.  _So close._

He took a breath…and the door bounced open with a resounding bang. Gabriel scrambled upright with a muffled curse to see Anna standing in the doorway, head to one side.

“Dinner’s in twenty,” she said, and disappeared.

“You could’ve _texted_ me!” Gabriel shouted after her.  He turned back to Sam, who was sitting up.  “Sorry,” he said. “She’s such a punk.”

Sam smiled at him.  “It’s fine. So…free day tomorrow, huh?”

“Not exactly,” Gabriel said.  “I have something planned for around lunchtime, so keep your calendar clear.”

Sam arched an eyebrow.  “Okay then. Shall we eat?”

 

Dinner was strained and formal again.  Gabriel’s parents had been bickering, it was clear from the stiff way they addressed each other, their words clipped, and Sam and Gabriel exchanged uneasy looks and confined the conversation to their end of the table.

Sam kept himself busy regaling Felicity with the rest of the adventures they’d had on the way out.  He had a knack for telling a funny story, talking with his hands and poking wry humor at himself as he described how Gabriel had managed to get him to strip in front of a room full of strangers.

Felicity had her head in her hands, her slim shoulders shaking with laughter, and Anna wasn’t much better by the time Sam got to the body shots. Michael was having difficulty keeping the smile off his face, and Gabriel relaxed a little.

Sam took Gabriel’s hand and the tension came roaring back with a vengeance. Sam wasn’t _doing_ anything; he’d just laced their fingers together casually as he painted a picture of the farmer’s market, but Gabriel could barely breathe.

Sam shot him an affectionate glance.  “He proposed to the lady that made the muffins, of course,” he said.

“You’re just jealous you didn’t get there first,” Gabriel managed to say. He was focused on Sam’s hand, warm and strong and so much bigger than his, and the way it wrapped around his palm, curving against his fingers.

Winslow leaned forward.  “So, Gabriel, does that mean that if Sam bakes you muffins, you’ll propose to him?” He was smiling but his eyes were hard as he looked at his youngest son.

The room got quiet and Gabriel swallowed hard, pulling his hand away from Sam’s. “Pretty sure that’s none of your business, Dad,” he said, keeping his voice light.  “But if he figures out the recipe to those bran muffins, I can’t guarantee anything.”

“Well, I for one am looking forward to having a cable service rep for a son-in-law,” Winslow said.  “He’d come in very handy when the TV goes out!”

Gabriel couldn’t hear anything over the roaring in his ears.  Anna’s eyes were wide with horror and Felicity was gripping her fork tightly, her knuckles white.  Even Michael looked furious, glaring at their father.

“That reminds me of a funny story,” Sam said, and launched into a tale of going home for Christmas and being expected to fix the satellite dish while he was there. “I tried to explain that I worked for the _cable_ company, not the satellite, but no one listened to me, of course.”

Gabriel took a deep breath.  “Did you manage to fix it?” he said, and was distantly proud of his voice staying steady.

“Of course I did,” Sam said, grinning.  He seemed to have taken no notice of Gabriel’s father at all, and Gabriel forced himself to relax, carefully not looking toward his father’s end of the table.

 

He made it through the rest of the meal by the skin of his teeth, but refused dessert.

“I’m tired,” he announced, and stood up.  “Dinner was delicious, goodnight.”  He turned to go without looking at his parents as Sam scrambled to follow.

“Gabe, slow down!” Sam hissed as Gabriel marched up the stairs, but Gabriel ignored him, shoulders stiff.

Sam stayed on his heels all the way into the bedroom and stopped just inside the door, watching Gabriel as he paced beside the bed.

Finally Gabriel turned to face him.  “I’m sorry,” he managed.  He was horrified to feel tears pricking his eyes and he forced them back with an effort. “I’m so fucking sorry, Sam, he was way out of line and I never imagined he’d go after you like that, if I’d known I never would’ve -”

Sam lunged forward and Gabriel stopped talking abruptly, wrapped in six foot four of very large man.  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, smelling Sam’s aftershave, mixed with hay and horses, and released a shaky sigh as his arms came up and wrapped around Sam’s waist.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, hanging on for dear life.

Sam’s arms tightened.  “Shut up,” he murmured into Gabriel’s hair.  “You warned me. I’m a big boy, I can handle a few assholes.”  He gripped Gabriel’s shoulders and pushed him away enough to peer into his face. “It’s not your fault, Gabe. You hear me?  Don’t you blame yourself; you already take way too much onto your shoulders as it is.”

Gabriel sighed again, defeated, and Sam pulled him close again.

“It’s not your fault,” he repeated.

Gabriel rested his cheek against Sam’s chest.  “You’re the best fake boyfriend anyone could ever ask for,” he said.

Sam was utterly still for a moment and then he laughed, letting go and stepping away. “You’re getting your money’s worth, that’s for sure.  What do you want to do until bedtime?”

Gabriel shrugged.  “Read or watch TV. Anything that doesn’t involve my parents, basically.”

They ended up on the bed, stretched out against the pillows, Sam with his book and Gabriel choosing a movie to watch on his phone.  As the opening credits began to roll, Gabriel glanced over at Sam, who was already engrossed in his paperback, his profile lit by the flickering blue of Gabriel’s screen.

It was nice, curled up next to Sam, each peacefully doing his own thing. For a few minutes, Gabriel could lie to himself, pretend that they were really what they appeared to be. He’d regret it, he knew, but he couldn’t make himself care.

 

He woke up the next morning before Sam.  Sam’s arm was across Gabriel’s waist again, his hips pressed firmly up against Gabriel’s ass, and that was definitely not a gun in Sam’s pocket.

Gabriel swallowed a groan as Sam’s arm tightened and he ground against Gabriel’s hips, sighing into his hair.

 _God no, please, not again,_ Gabriel thought desperately and then Sam’s hand was sliding lower, cupping Gabriel’s straining erection and rubbing it through his pajamas. Gabriel almost swallowed his tongue as Sam squeezed and stroked, sending tiny lightning bolts up Gabriel’s spine.

It was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but Gabriel took a deep breath and caught Sam’s wrist, stopping him.

Sam froze, his body going from sleep-languid to taut and awake. Then he jerked his hand back, rolling away and off the bed.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a rush.  “I’m so, so sorry, Gabe, I didn’t mean…”

Gabriel sat up.  “Sam…it’s okay, it…”

Sam was shaking his head, rubbing his mouth.  “No,” he said, his voice muffled.  “No, I just… _molested_ you, Gabe, I’m so _sorry._   Jesus…”

Gabriel went to his knees.  “ _Sam,_ no!  It wasn’t like that at all!  We were _both_ asleep, and you…” He grimaced and gestured helplessly at his crotch.  “It’s pretty obvious I was enjoying it too.  It’s okay, I swear.”

Sam stared at him for a long moment and then his shoulders sagged. “I’m not fit to be out on my own, clearly,” he said.

Gabriel smiled at him.  “We should get ready. A lot planned for the day.”

“Right,” Sam said, clearly gathering his thoughts.  “Okay.  Yeah.”

Gabriel slid off the bed and past him into the bathroom.  _Keep it casual, don’t make it awkward, stay calm._ He applied shaving cream to his face as Sam sidled in behind him and headed for the shower, and it didn’t escape Gabriel’s attention that Sam stepped into the shower stall to take his clothes off this time.

Gabriel fixed his eyes firmly on his own reflection in the mirror and began to shave. Sam kept silent as he showered, and they traded places with nothing more than careful nods.

Gabriel was unable to meet or keep Sam’s eyes until they were heading downstairs for breakfast and then he remembered what day it was.

“Hey,” he said, and touched Sam’s arm.  Sam was two steps below him and he swung around, looking up at him. Gabriel smiled. “Happy birthday.”

Sam’s face lit up.  “How did you know?”

“You mentioned something to Anna.  Why didn’t you tell me?”

Sam shrugged, a smile tugging at his mouth.  “Didn’t seem relevant.”

Gabriel snorted and started down the steps again.  “Relevant.  I’d say it’s relevant to know my boyfriend’s birthday, especially in front of my family.”

Sam caught up with him and they were smiling at each other as they entered the dining room. Gabriel noted with a wave of relief that his parents were absent from the table, and a little more of the tension drained from him.

Felicity and Anna jumped up and dashed to hug Sam, who looked a little stunned as they threw their arms around him.

“Happy birthday,” Anna said, her voice muffled by Sam’s shirt.

Felicity pulled Sam’s head down and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Happy birthday, sweetie,” she said. She tugged him toward the table. “We got your favorites for breakfast.”

Sam gave her a baffled look.  “How did you even know what they were?”

“Don’t look now, but your boyfriend is standing right behind you,” Gabriel said dryly, and Sam swung around to stare at him.

“ _You_ told them?”

Gabriel shrugged.  “It’s your birthday, Sammy.  Not going to miss an opportunity to treat you like a king today.”

Sam stared at him for a moment and then smiled, wide and blinding, and Gabriel’s heart stuttered.  _Jesus, the boy was beautiful._   Gabriel kept his face neutral with an effort and dropped a wink as he pulled out a chair and sat down. 

Sam sat beside him and began piling bacon and eggs onto his plate.

“Where’s Michael?” he asked.

“He and Dad had a ‘work-related emergency’,” Anna said.  “They flew back to the city to deal with it. They’ll be back in time for the bachelor party tonight.  Sam, tell us more about your family.  We barely know anything about you!”

Sam smiled and obeyed, and it took Gabriel a few minutes to realize that something was still a little off.  Oh, Sam was smiling easily, talking to him and the others and eating, but he wasn’t touching Gabriel, was in fact carefully keeping several inches between them.

 _This wouldn’t do._ Gabriel scooted his chair a little closer and waited for his moment.  Sam put his napkin in his lap and dropped his hand onto the table as he told Anna a story about visiting his brother Dean in South Dakota, and Gabriel reached over and tangled their fingers together.

Sam’s voice faltered briefly and he shot a glance at Gabriel, who just smiled at him. Sam swallowed, emotions warring on his expressive face, and then he smiled back and squeezed Gabriel’s hand.

The rest of the meal passed more easily, and before long they were standing and dropping their napkins on the table.

“Sam, I have some things to do, so why don’t you and Anna and Felicity go take a walk?” Gabriel said.

Sam’s eyes narrowed but he said nothing, turning and offering his arms to the girls. “I’ve been wanting to meet the guard donkey,” he said.  “Is that possible?”

Gabriel watched them until they were out the front door before he dashed up the stairs to his room and the stuff he’d hidden the day before.

 

It didn’t take long to have the sitting room arranged the way he wanted it, with Sam’s presents piled on the coffee table and streamers hung from the windows. Then he just had to wait until Sam and the girls came back in, their cheeks flushed pink from the cold.  Gabriel tried not to notice the way Anna clung to Sam's arm, laughing up at something he was saying.

Sam stopped dead inside the sitting room, staring at the untidily wrapped presents and the slightly crooked streamers.

“Happy birthday!” Gabriel said.  Sam’s mouth was open.

“Gabe…” He trailed off.  “You didn’t have to do this.”

Gabriel scoffed.  “’Course I didn’t _have_ to, Sammy. I wanted to.”

Sam stepped forward, skirting the coffee table, and got right up in Gabriel’s personal space.  Gabriel tilted his head back and gazed up at him, swallowing nerves, as Sam cupped Gabriel’s face in one huge hand.

“Thank you,” he murmured.  “You’re amazing.”

Gabriel fought not to lean into the warmth of that hand, to not close his eyes and pull Sam’s mouth down to his, but then Sam was wrapping his arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.  Gabriel hugged him back, sighing happily.  Sam gave the _best_ hugs.

Finally, he loosened his grip and gently pushed Sam away.  “You have presents, pal, you can hug me anytime. Right now, you need to see what kind of loot you got.”

Sam released him with what almost felt like reluctance, and sat down on the sofa, accepting the first present.  He held it up to his ear and shook the box, and Gabriel rolled his eyes, sitting next to him as Felicity and Anna sat in the chairs on either side of them.

“Congratulations, that _was_ fine china, and now it’s broken,” Gabriel said.

Sam grinned at him, wide and bright.  “It’s too heavy to be china.”

He began to pick at the tape, carefully peeling it off, until Gabriel sighed loudly and leaned forward.

“Sam. Stop being such a pansy and _rip_ it.  Like this.” He took hold of a corner and yanked, and the paper tore in half.

Sam laughed. “Sorry, we always saved our wrapping paper to reuse.”  He pulled the remnants of the paper off and pulled up the flaps of the cardboard box.

“Oh, Gabe…” Sam lifted the beeswax candle out and gave Gabriel a brilliant smile. “You remembered!”

“Of course I remembered,” Gabriel said.

Sam leaned forward and dropped a kiss on his lips.  “Thank you,” he murmured.

Gabriel cleared his throat and smiled at him.  “Next!” 

He took the big box that Anna handed him and passed it to Sam, who accepted it, clearly expecting it to be heavy.  His eyebrows went up when he hefted it and realized how light it was.

Gabriel flapped his hands at him.  “This year, dude. Not getting any younger!”

Sam snorted and obeyed, ripping the paper with the quirk of an eyebrow at Gabriel, who laughed.  Then Sam was into the box and lifting out a heavy winter coat, his mouth falling open.

“Gabe…”

Gabriel was grinning.  “Your old coat is _weak,_ pal. You don’t like the cold? Well, now you can go out in it without being miserable.”  He pointed. “There are matching gloves in the pocket.”

“You’re amazing,” Sam said, inspecting the coat and smiling at Gabriel. His dimples flashed and Gabriel’s heart skipped.

“Last one!” he said brightly, and passed over a smaller but heavier box.

Sam pulled the paper off and gasped.  “Seriously, Gabe?  This is too much. You shouldn’t have done this.”

Felicity leaned over to inspect the gift.  “Oh, Douglas Adams!  Is it everything he wrote, Gabe?”

Gabriel nodded, beaming.  He was proud of that gift; he’d had to hunt for it, but by God, he’d found it.  “Now you can get acquainted with all his stuff. And next, you need to read Terry Pratchett.  I’ll get you some of his works for Christmas.”

“Thank you,” Sam said, caressing the spines of the books in his lap with one long finger. He looked up and his smile was dazzling. “You’re amazing, Gabe.” He reached out and cupped the back of Gabriel’s neck, pulling him into a gentle kiss.

Gabriel smiled against his mouth, kissing back willingly.  “Happy birthday,” he murmured between kisses, and Sam huffed a quiet laugh.

“It is now,” he whispered, and pressed their mouths together again, deepening the kiss until Gabriel was breathless.

“Okay, get a room,” Anna said, and they broke apart with a laugh.

Felicity stood up, smiling at them.  “Happy birthday, Sam.  I’ve got the planner coming in a few minutes, so I need to get going.  You’re both going to the bachelor party tonight, right?”

Gabriel nodded, head still swimming from Sam’s lips on his.

Sam stood up, gathering his presents and holding out his hand to Gabriel. “Is there anywhere we can just hang out for the afternoon?  I’d kind of like to just relax.  I have a feeling tonight’s going to be wild.”

Gabriel nodded and accepted his hand, standing up.  “Back porch.  Follow me.” He led the way through the house toward the back door and ushered Sam out onto the covered porch.

Sam glanced around appreciatively.  “Perfect.” The caterers were bustling by outside the glassed in room, and Sam sank down onto the comfortable couch, patting the cushions next to him as Felicity and the wedding planner came out into the garden, heads together as they discussed details.

Gabriel sat down next to Sam as the taller man set his candle and coat on the floor and pulled out one of the books. 

“Scoot over,” Sam said, and Gabriel complied, confused.

He froze when Sam draped himself across the couch, his head in Gabriel’s lap. He smiled up at him and Gabriel tried to remember how to breathe.

“This okay?” Sam asked in a low tone, and Gabriel nodded wordlessly.

Sam smiled. “Good,” he said, and held up the box. “Pick one.”

They spent the afternoon reading peacefully, ignoring the bustle and hubbub around them, Sam’s head a warm, comfortable weight on Gabriel’s thigh. The bachelor party would start soon, and things would get crazy, but for now, Gabriel was content to relax and let himself pretend that this was real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay, gentle readers. I may have signed up for my third Big Bang (a Sam-centric one this time!) and brain-eating has occurred. Not to worry, though - I'll try not to leave y'all hanging on this one!


	7. Chapter 7

At some point, Sam dozed off, Gabriel’s thigh proving to be an even better pillow than he’d anticipated.  It didn’t hurt that he drifted back to awareness to discover that somewhere in there Gabriel’s hand had moved from the back of the couch to Sam’s head, fingers stroking absently through his hair.  Sam wasn’t sure Gabriel even realized he was doing it, absorbed as he was in his book, and Sam sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him.

Instead, he turned onto his side, tucking his legs up and pressing his cheek against Gabriel’s leg.  Gabriel’s hand stilled and then resumed its rhythmic stroking, and Sam sighed and sank back into sleep.

He was woken by a gentle hand on his face, warm breath on his skin.

“Sam,” Gabriel was murmuring, bending over him.  “Sammy, it’s time to get ready, it’s almost time for the bachelor party.” In an even lower voice, he added, “My sister’s in the doorway.”

Sam stretched, groaning happily, and looped an arm around Gabriel’s neck when the shorter man made to sit back up.  Caught off-guard, Gabriel let Sam pull him down so their mouths could meet. Gabriel froze as Sam licked at the seam of his lips until they parted and Sam could press up into the wet heat of Gabriel’s mouth with a sigh.

A fine shiver went all the way through Gabriel’s body and his hand tightened convulsively in Sam’s hair as their tongues dipped and slid against each other.

Anna cleared her throat from the doorway and Sam pulled away reluctantly, smiling at Gabriel, who was blinking down at him, his amber eyes dazed.

“Right,” Sam said, and rolled to his feet.  He held out a hand to Gabriel, who accepted it and allowed Sam to haul him upright. Sam gathered his presents and followed Gabriel into the house, winking at Anna on his way past.

 

Freshly showered, shaved, and in decent clothes, they presented themselves at the front door, where a limo was waiting for them, an honest-to-God chauffeur at the wheel.  Garth waved cheerfully from the back seat.

“Hey guys!” he said as Sam and Gabriel climbed in and settled themselves. “How are y’all doin’ today?”

“Good,” Sam said, smiling at him.  Garth’s positivity was infectious.

“It’s Sam’s birthday today,” Gabriel said, and Garth’s face lit up.

“No shit?” he said.  “Well hell, we definitely need to celebrate!”

“Happy birthday, Sam,” Michael said.  He settled a pair of sunglasses into place and nodded to the driver.  “The rest of the boys are meeting us there,” he added. “I booked The Ivy’s best room.”

“Oh, nice!” Gabriel said, rubbing his hands.  “The Ivy is the best bar in town,” he told Sam, “and this town has a _lot_ of good bars.”

They made it into the city in good time and parked outside a low, rambling building. Michael ushered them inside the bustle of the place, the noise and sound hitting Sam like an almost physical blow.

They wended their way between tables through the dark maze of the interior until finally they made it to the room Michael had booked.  It was quieter, thankfully, and tastefully furnished.

They settled in and placed their drink order with the pretty young waitress, and Sam draped his arm around Gabriel’s shoulders, pulling him close enough that he could put his lips to the shorter man’s ear.

“Did you hire a stripper?” he whispered.

Gabriel gave him an offended look.  “What do you take me for?” he shot back.  He leaned in and pressed his mouth to Sam’s ear.  “Didn’t have to.  They’re provided here free of charge.  I hope you brought plenty of singles.”

Sam snorted a laugh.  “You’re impossible.”

Gabriel straightened, grinning.  “You love it,” he said.

God help him, Sam really did, he was discovering.  Everything about Gabriel was captivating, from the way his eyes glowed golden when the light hit them to the crook of his mouth when something was funny, to the way he avoided confrontation with his father but encouraged Sam out of his shell by embarrassing him publicly.

He _wanted,_ Sam realized with a shock. He wanted Gabriel for real, wanted to be able to hold him in private, make slow, tender love to him, kiss him breathless and not have to worry about an audience.  He wanted to know more about him, to learn the foods he loved and hated, his favorite music, everything.  He wanted to _immerse_ himself in the young man, live and breathe Gabriel, wrap himself around him until it was impossible to tell where Gabriel ended and Sam began.

Next to him, Gabriel was laughing at something Garth was saying, his head tipped back as his mirth tumbled out, and Sam closed his eyes briefly, misery unfurling inside him. It wasn’t going to happen. Gabriel had made that crystal clear, and Sam was going to respect that if it killed him.

When the waitress came back with their drinks and appetizers, Sam caught her eye and asked for whiskey.  It was time to get drunk.

 

Three hours later, Sam just wanted to go home.  The strippers had come and gone, Michael had laughed and groaned and covered his eyes, and Garth had paid one of them to give a very uncomfortable Sam a lapdance. 

Sam had leaned back in his chair, head turned away, as the girl swayed and shimmied above him.  She was gorgeous, it was true, but she was also bored out of her mind, and all Sam could see was Gabriel sitting beside him, laughing like the show didn’t bother him at all.

Finally, _finally,_ the party ground to a stop and the group stumbled out to the waiting limo.  The driver put away his book and waited for them to get situated in the back before pulling out of the lot.

Gabriel leaned against Sam’s side, head on his chest, and Sam ran a hand up and down his arm.

“Doing okay?” he asked quietly.

Gabriel nodded.  “’M good, Sammy. But…you didn’t like your lapdance!” He pulled away and looked up at Sam, golden eyes full of woe, and Sam huffed an amused breath.

“It was fine,” he said, all too aware that there were listening ears. “I’d just rather it have been from you.”

“I can’t dance,” Gabriel told him as if confiding a great secret.

“I don’t care,” Sam said, rubbing his arm again.  “Still prefer you.”  God, it was the truth, too. He was going to tell Gabriel, dammit. The minute they were alone; well, the minute they were sober, at any rate.  Gabriel likely wasn’t going to remember any of this in the morning, and Sam wasn’t doing much better.

Besides, now Gabriel was smiling up at him, his eyes shining. “Best…boyfriend ever,” he informed him, and then he was swinging a leg over Sam’s and settling in his lap, resting his arms on Sam’s shoulders.

Sam’s hands came up to brace on Gabriel’s hips as he tipped his head to look up into the shorter man’s face.

“Keep it PG, boys,” Garth drawled from the other seat.

Gabriel ignored him, lowering his head to Sam’s and catching his mouth in a slow, sloppy kiss.  He tasted like whiskey and peanuts and French fries, and Sam couldn’t breathe for wanting.  His hands tightened convulsively and he pushed up into the kiss, begging, demanding, and Gabriel gave it back gladly.

“PG, I said!” Garth shouted, and Gabriel jerked away, startled, to glare at the scrawny young man.

“You’re just jealous,” he said. 

“Of you? Damn skippy I am, have you _seen_ Sam?” Garth said. “I may be straight but I’d switch teams for him.”

“Sitting right here,” Sam pointed out.

Gabriel turned back to face him.  “Yes you are. At my mercy, in fact.” His eyes glinted with mischief.  “I wonder what I can do with you while I have you pinned down…”  He dipped his head and Sam swallowed hard.  Then Gabriel’s mouth was on his jaw, nibbling and sucking along it, his hands loosely cupping Sam’s throat to keep his head still as he worked his way down.

Sam squirmed, an undignified noise falling from his mouth as Gabriel’s teeth found his earlobe.  Gabriel pulled back, teeth flashing white as he grinned. 

“Like that, do you?” he murmured, and dove back in.

Sam’s fingers tightened, digging into the bone of Gabriel’s hips, and Gabriel growled happily as he sucked Sam’s earlobe between his teeth again.

“ _Jesus,_ ” Sam managed.

“You guys are so gross,” Garth announced as the limo drew to a stop. “And also, we’re here, so do you think you could continue your mating ritual somewhere we don’t have to watch?”

He and Michael clambered out of the car and Sam sighed regretfully as Gabriel swung his leg back over Sam’s lap and climbed off.

But Gabriel wasn’t letting go of him.  He gripped Sam’s hand and pulled him out of the limo as Michael paid the driver. Gabriel’s eyes were dark with intent in the silvery moonlight and he leaned into Sam’s chest.

“Think ‘m gonna give you that lapdance now, Sammy,” he said in a stage-whisper, and then he was dragging Sam up the steps toward the house. 

Sam barely noticed their surroundings as he was towed up the staircase and along the landing to Gabriel’s room, his head spinning.

“Gabe,” he managed as Gabriel shut the door and advanced on him.  “Gabe, we’re alone now.  You can stop…” He faltered to a halt as Gabriel’s eyebrow arched.

“Do you want me to stop, Sammy?” Gabriel whispered, and swayed a step nearer.

“I…you’re drunk,” Sam said.

“So’re you,” Gabriel pointed out, and took another step.  “We’re both smashed, Sammo.  What’s your point?”

Sam opened his mouth to say something no doubt very intelligent and persuasive, and Gabriel pounced, dragging his head down and capturing his mouth.

It wasn’t tender this time.  It was rough, possessive and needy and demanding, and Sam groaned as Gabriel slid both hands into his hair and gripped tightly, dragging his head back upright.

Sam stared down at him, at Gabriel’s mouth wet and wanting, and threw caution to the wind. “I want you,” he said. “Have for awhile.”

Gabriel let go of Sam’s hair and spread his arms wide, swaying a little. “Here I am, Sammy. What are you waiting for?”

_Fuck it._   Sam stooped and wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s thighs, lifting and toppling him onto the bed.  Gabriel squawked as he landed with a bounce, and then he was wriggling backward up the mattress as Sam crawled on after him.

He braced himself above Gabriel on his elbows, holding himself off the bed, as Gabriel stared up at him.  The haze of alcohol in his bloodstream made Sam’s head swim pleasantly and he smiled as he dropped his head and took his first kiss of the night.  Gabriel moaned into his mouth, arms winding around Sam’s neck, and Sam lowered himself down to rest on top of Gabriel’s body. He ground their hips together, breath hitching as Gabriel whimpered and bucked up against him.

“Too many clothes,” Sam growled, nipping Gabriel’s chin.

Gabriel shuddered and wriggled back some more, pushing at Sam’s shoulders until he sat back on his heels and helped pull Gabriel’s shirt off.  Gabriel sat up and his hands went to the hem of Sam’s shirt, pushing it up and over his head.  Then he fell back against the bed, tugging at his jeans with indiscriminate haste.

Sam didn’t move, staring at Gabriel as he lay sprawled beneath him, limned in the moonlight from the window.

“Little help here?” Gabriel prompted, and Sam snapped back to himself. He scooted backward and helped pull Gabriel’s jeans and boxers off until the shorter man was naked.

Sam gulped, staring.  He’d known Gabriel was gorgeous; he’d seen him with his shirt off, after all. But this…Gabriel was all pale limbs and smooth skin, his arms covering his little belly roll as he squirmed self-consciously.  His erection jutted upward in the dim light, heavy and flushed, and Sam’s mouth watered. He had to get his mouth on it, _now._

He rolled off the bed, ignoring the protesting noise Gabriel made, and kicked his pants off before rummaging in the bedside drawer.  He came up with a condom and lube clutched triumphantly in his hand and was distantly proud of himself for only swaying a little bit when he clambered back on the bed to kneel between Gabriel’s thighs where they fell open.

“’M gonna suck you off,” he informed Gabriel, who whimpered.  “Thinking maybe I’ll fuck you with my fingers while I do that.”

Gabriel sucked in a sharp breath, his entire body tensing.

“But first,” Sam said, and tugged Gabriel’s arms away from his stomach. Gabriel whined a protest but didn’t fight him, and Sam rewarded him with a kiss pressed to the soft swell of his abdomen.

“So beautiful,” Sam murmured, and bit down, encouraged by the way Gabriel bucked up, moaning as Sam worked his way across Gabriel’s stomach, sucking bruises into the skin and leaving teeth marks behind.

He took his time, leaving no inch untouched, and when he was done, Gabriel was a shaking mess, one arm flung over his eyes.

Sam rolled the condom down Gabriel’s shaft in several uncoordinated, clumsy movements, cursing the alcohol in his system for impairing his motor skills.

Then he was sucking the tip of Gabriel’s cock into his mouth and he forgot everything else.  Gabriel groaned and he slid his hand into Sam’s hair, fingers snagging and curving against his skull as he fought not to fuck into Sam’s mouth.

Sam closed his eyes and swirled his tongue around the shaft, tracing the ridges, loving the way Gabriel fell apart beneath him.  He flattened his tongue against the frenulum, hollowing his cheeks and sliding down until the head of Gabriel’s cock was bumping the back of his throat.

Gabriel was talking, Sam realized vaguely, babbling nonsense with a few discernible phrases sprinkled throughout.

“So good, Sam…feels…oh God…just like that…”

Encouraged, Sam kept it up as he fumbled for the lube and squeezed a generous amount onto his first two fingers.  Then he was pressing up inside Gabriel and Gabriel’s back was bowing up off the bed, a strangled sound falling from his lips.

Sam was rutting into the mattress in sharp desperate jerks as he fucked his fingers forward into Gabriel’s body in smooth, deep thrusts and sucked Gabriel’s cock farther into his mouth again.  He could already feel the orgasm gathering, coiling hot and heavy in the pit of his stomach, and he ground the pad of his middle finger against the bundle of nerves at Gabriel’s center again and then again, until Gabriel’s body locked up, clamping down on Sam’s hand as he filled the condom with a wordless shout.

Sam pulled back just enough to breathe, keeping his mouth where it was and groaning as he came in hot pulses onto the bed.  Only then did he gently slide his fingers free, his entire body shaking with aftershocks, and peel the condom off Gabriel’s spent cock. 

Gabriel was utterly still, eyes closed as Sam crawled up his body and curled against him.

“Did I kill you?” Sam whispered.  He reached behind him and pulled the heavy bedspread up and over them both as Gabriel nodded, humming deep in his throat and stretching luxuriously.

He said nothing though, turning on his side and wriggling back into Sam’s warmth. Just like that, he was asleep.

Amused, Sam buried his nose in the curls at the nape of Gabriel’s neck and followed suit. They would talk in the morning, but everything was going to be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, lovelies! This chapter was giving me _fits_. But I finally conquered it, and I do believe it's ~~all downhill~~ smooth sailing from here.


	8. Chapter 8

Gabriel woke up first.  His head was pounding with a hangover, but much more troubling was the fact that he was naked. Naked, with Sam’s solid heat pressed up against his back, and  _oh God…_ they’d had sex.  Gabriel swallowed hard as it rushed back to him.  Sam, informing him that he was going to suck him off, finger-fucking him mercilessly until Gabriel had come so hard his toes had curled.

Sam stretched, yawning, and draped a sleep-warm arm across Gabriel’s stomach. “Morning,” he murmured, and pressed a kiss to the skin below Gabriel’s ear.

Gabriel jerked away so hard he fell out of bed. 

He landed with a hard thud and Sam’s startled face peered over the edge.

“You okay there?” Sam asked.

Gabriel scrambled to his feet.  “Fine. I…yeah.  Fine.”

Sam sat up and stretched again, the blanket falling off his shoulders to reveal that glorious torso, smooth and tanned, perfect six-pack abs, and Gabriel couldn’t bear it any longer.

He spun and dashed for the bathroom, ignoring the surprised noise that Sam made, and leaned against the closed door.

_Stupid, stupid, you fucking_ idiot, _Gabriel, you took advantage of him. He was drunk, and you_ used _that, all so you could get laid._

A knock came at the door and Gabriel stumbled back a step.

“Gabe?” Sam sounded worried.  “What’s wrong?”

Gabriel took a deep breath and forced cheer into his voice.  “Nothing’s wrong, Sammy,” he called through the door. “Everything’s fine. I’m going to take a long shower. I’ll meet you downstairs, okay?”

“Okay…” Sam said.  “Mind if I come in and get my shaving stuff?”

_Shit._ Gabriel dove for the shower and cranked the water on, stifling a yelp as the cold spray hit him right in the chest.

“Come on…in,” he managed, and listened over the sound of the water to the sound of Sam gathering up his things.

Sam lingered outside the shower and Gabriel watched his silhouette for a long moment until he couldn’t bear it any longer.

“Need something, Sammy?” he asked.

Sam jerked, startled.  “No,” he said. “I…no.  See you downstairs.”  He turned and left, and Gabriel shoved his face under the much warmer water, closing his eyes.

_What was he going to do?_ He’d fucked up, he’d fucked up so badly, and no matter how willing Sam had seemed last night, Gabriel knew it wasn’t real.

He had to fix this somehow, let Sam know he was off the hook.  Because if there was anything Gabriel knew about Sam, it was that Sam would feel obligated to pursue an actual relationship despite not actually wanting one.

Gabriel braced his elbows against the cool marble and hid his face as the water sluiced down his back.

His mind was a whirl the whole time he was in the shower, but he was a little calmer when he stepped out and dried off.  Maybe…maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing. What if Sam _did_ like him, enough that if Gabriel told him he really was interested, then he’d be willing to at least _try_ dating him?

He shaved quickly, his mind made up.  He would talk to Sam.  _Ask_ him if he liked Gabriel enough to try this relationship for real. Be a fucking adult for once.

Gabriel dragged on his favorite pair of jeans, blinking down at the bite marks all over his stomach as he buttoned them.  Just how much fun had they had last night, and how come he could only remember the broad strokes?

He shrugged on a soft t-shirt, pulling the long sleeves down over his wrists, and as he bent to pick up a pair of socks, movement caught his eye out the window.

He straightened and moved nearer, peering down into the garden.  It was Sam, talking to someone, but Sam’s broad shoulders obscured who it was.  Gabriel pressed his face to the cold glass, craning his neck.

There, a flash of red past Sam’s new winter coat.  Gabriel’s stomach dropped.  Anna was standing close to Sam, a hand on his arm and delicate face turned up to meet his as he spoke.  Sam was sideways to the window, only his profile in view.

Gabriel wasn’t breathing, wishing desperately he could hear what they were saying. _Please, Sam…_

Anna laughed, slim frame shaking, and then reached up and pulled Sam down into a hug. Sam hugged her back, lifting her off the ground, his head lowering to hers, and Gabriel jerked away from the window as if he’d been burned.

That was that, then.  Sam had realized the mistake he’d made and chosen the much more socially appropriate and attractive member of the Novak family.  Well, he had good taste, anyway.  Better the slender, gorgeous redheaded debutante than the slightly chubby, only middling successful artist with well deserved self-esteem issues, after all.

Gabriel stepped into his shoes, his stomach churning.  How was he supposed to look Sam in the eye now? How could he smile up at the beautiful young man and pretend he hadn’t just had his heart ripped out of his chest?

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and Gabriel took a shaky breath as Sam pushed the door open. His cheeks were pink, his eyes bright with excitement as he smiled at Gabriel, and Gabriel dredged up an answering smile from somewhere.

“Hey, they said you hadn’t come down yet,” Sam said, flopping down on the bed. “Breakfast is gonna be all gone if you don’t get a hustle on.”

“I’ll get right on that,” Gabriel said, and made for the door.

“Wait!” Sam said, sitting up.

Gabriel froze in place, hand on the doorknob, and slowly turned.  Sam was watching him, an anxious frown marring his forehead.

“I wanted to talk to you about something, actually,” Sam said.  “And now’s the perfect time, if…you don’t mind?”

“Why would I mind?” Gabriel said.  “Lay it on me, kid.”

“Uh, okay,” Sam said, shoving a hand through his hair.  “I…shit, this is hard.  Um…okay, say I…like someone.  And I think…I think this person might like me back, but I’m not really sure.”

_How was it possible for a heart to physically ache?_ Gabriel wondered, unable to move.

Sam looked up at him again.  “I want to…to ask this person if they might be interested in me, but I don’t know how. Would you…happen to have any ideas?”

Was that a _smile_ blooming on Sam’s face? Gabriel was suddenly furious. How _dare_ he rub Gabriel’s nose in this? 

“You should just come right out and fucking _tell_ them,” he spat, and bolted as shock filled Sam’s face.

He was all the way down the stairs and into the dining room before Sam caught up and grabbed his arm, spinning him around.

“What the _hell?_ ” Sam hissed.

Gabriel glanced behind him.  His parents were sitting at the table with Michael.  Perfect. Absolutely fucking perfect.

He jerked his arm out of Sam’s grip.

“I’ve had enough of this, Sam,” he said, loudly enough that the table could hear. “We want different things.” And oh God, he could laugh at the irony of that statement if he wasn’t on the verge of shameful tears.

Sam pulled back, staring at him with his mouth hanging open.  “Gabriel, what are you doing?” he asked quietly.

“I’m breaking up with you, Sam,” Gabriel said.  “Sorry, I thought that part was obvious.  You know we’re not right for each other, I’m doing you a favor.”

Anna appeared behind Sam, her eyes huge with shock, and Gabriel flung his hands in the air, turning on his heel.  If there was one person in the world he wanted to see _less_ than Sam right now, it would have to be his baby sister.

“I’ll buy you a plane ticket home,” he said over his shoulder, heading for the buffet table.  “That way you won’t be trapped in the car with me halfway across the country.”  He started dumping food on his plate, utterly unaware of what he was scooping up.

“Gabe,” Sam said from behind him, “please don’t do this.  Can we talk in private?  Please?”

“Nothing to be said, Sammo,” Gabriel said, sidestepping him neatly to settle in at the table.  “Be a good boy and go pack your things, no hard feelings.”

He began shoveling food into his mouth, tasting nothing, every atom of his being focused on Sam’s presence behind him.

When Sam took a sharp breath and rushed from the room, Gabriel closed his eyes and took another bite.  When he looked up, his family was staring at him.

“What?” he said.  “We were never going to work, you might as well have said as much, Dad.  Don’t pretend you actually liked him.”

Michael shoved away from the table and stood, lips tight.  He stalked from the room without a word and Anna flung a furious glance at Gabriel.

“You are without doubt the _stupidest_ man I have ever known,” she hissed, and followed Michael out.

Gabriel looked at his parents.  “Go ahead, get your digs in now, buy one get one free, I can’t _wait_ to hear them.”

His mother sighed and patted her mouth with her napkin.  “I’m very disappointed in you, Gabriel,” was all she said as she rose.

“Yeah well, what else is new,” Gabriel muttered to his plate as she swept out.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” his father said.

Gabriel looked up at that.  “You’re the one making digs about him being a cable repair technician, now you’re telling me I made a mistake?  Make up your fucking mind, Dad!”

“Watch your language with me,” Winslow growled.  “I may not approve of his vocation, but even I can tell that Sam is twice the man you’ll ever be.”

He stalked out of the room, back stiff, and Gabriel blinked back tears.

“That’s the problem,” he whispered to the empty table.

 

He didn’t see Sam again.  Gabriel curled up on the couch in the screened-in porch, resting his head on his arm, praying that no one would find him.

He could hear the bustle of the workers setting up the back garden, but no one paid him any attention as people rushed in and out of the house.

After about an hour, the cushion beside him dipped and he smelled magnolias just as Felicity put a cool hand on his arm.

Gabriel looked up at her and she smiled, her eyes full of sympathy.

“He was too good for me,” Gabriel whispered.  “I did him a favor.”

“Oh Gabe,” Felicity murmured, and pulled him into her arms.

Gabriel wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, burrowed his face against her linen dress and let the tears fall, hot and stinging.

He wept until he was wrung dry before he sat up, swiping at his eyes.

“Sorry,” he muttered.  “I messed up your dress.”

“I have other dresses,” Felicity said, cupping his flushed cheek in one gentle hand. “You’re more important.”

“No I’m not,” Gabriel said.  “And it’s your wedding day, too, God, I’m sorry, my timing is shit, I’ve ruined -”

“Stop,” Felicity said gently, and Gabriel shut his mouth.  “Everything’s fine.  You haven’t ruined anything.  The wedding will go on as planned.  Okay? I’m mostly worried about you right now.”

Gabriel lifted a shoulder, looking at his hands.  “I’m fine,” he mumbled. 

“Oh honey, you’re not fine,” Felicity said, “but if you want to pretend you are, we can do that.”

“Yes,” Gabriel said determinedly.  “That’s what I want to do.”

“In that case, would you like to talk to the florist with me, help work out the last minute arrangements?  She didn’t have the lilies I wanted and substituted carnations, can you believe it?”

“The nerve,” Gabriel agreed, smiling a little as he stood up and offered her his hand. “Is Sam…”

“He’s gone,” Felicity said gently.  “Anna drove him to the airport.”

_Of course she did._ But Gabriel just nodded and followed her into the garden.

 

The wedding was a blur.  Gabriel remembered very little of it, and at the reception he set himself to drinking as much as he could as quickly as he could, until Anna showed up out of nowhere, hands on her slim hips.

Gabriel blinked owlishly up at her as she reached down and yanked the bottle of champagne out of his hand.

“Hey,” he protested, “was drinkin’ that!”

“You’ve had enough,” his sister said, lips tight.

Gabriel sneered at her.  “You get off on takin’ what’s not yours, little sister?  That it?”

Anna blinked, confusion in her eyes.  “What are you talking about?”

Gabriel gestured vaguely.  “Drinks, boyfriends…you know.  All that happy horseshit.”

Anna’s mouth fell open.  “You think…you think I _stole_ Sam?”

“Well, I sure as fuck didn’t give him to you, did I?” Gabriel snarled, lurching to his feet.

“I didn’t take your boyfriend, Gabriel!” Anna shouted.

“What the hell else would you call it then?” Gabriel demanded, and then Felicity was there, sliding between the two of them.

“Gabriel, honey, I think it’s time for you to go to bed,” she said gently, turning him towards the door.  Anna moved as if to follow and Felicity held up a finger, silently warning her to stay behind.

Gabriel stumbled along, head swimming, as Felicity led him up the stairs and down the corridor to his room.  He curled up in his bed without protest, pushing his face into the soft pillow. Felicity pulled the heavy blanket up over his shoulders and sat down on the bed next to him, stroking his hair out of his face.

Gabriel blinked up at her, his vision hazy.  “You make a gorgeous bride,” he whispered.  “Sorry I…made a scene.”

Felicity leaned down and kissed his cheek.  “You didn’t.  Thank you for coming, Gabriel; I’m so glad I finally got to meet you.”

“Should’ve met you…long time ago,” Gabriel muttered.  “Michael doesn’t deserve you.”

Felicity laughed quietly.  “I think he does,” she said.  “Gabriel…” She trailed off and Gabriel waited.  “I talked to Anna,” she continued.  “She wasn’t after Sam, you know that, right?”

“Saw ‘em together,” Gabriel mumbled.

“When?”

“This morning,” he said.  “In the garden. They were talking and then she hugged him and…I think they…kissed.”

“You _think_ they kissed or you _saw_ them kiss?” Felicity asked.

Gabriel turned his head away.  “Does it matter?” He sounded like a petulant child but he didn’t care.  “Sam came up to tell me after.  He never wanted me, not really.  He…likes Anna.  They…fit. So he can have her.”

“Gabriel, I haven’t known you long,” Felicity said, and there was steel in her voice, making Gabriel flinch.  “But from observing you this past week and from what Michael’s said about you, you are stubborn beyond belief and have absolutely no idea of how amazing you are.”

Gabriel rolled his head on the pillow to look at her and she smiled down at him in the moonlight from the window.

“You had it rough,” she said gently.  “Growing up sandwiched between the overachiever big brother on one side and the darling baby sister on the other, both of them physically stunning. Add distant, emotionally reserved parents to that and it’s little wonder you grew up thinking you had nothing to offer anyone.”

Gabriel closed his eyes, tears pricking his eyelids.

“Sam sees what I see,” Felicity continued.  “He sees _you,_ Gabe. He sees past that prickly, smartass exterior you’ve got up as your defense system.  He sees the talented artist, the man with the ingenuity and ability to see beautiful things in his mind and then bring them to life in three dimensions.”

A tear slid down Gabriel’s cheek and Felicity wiped it away with a thumb.

“He loves you, Gabriel,” she murmured.  “I saw it every time he looked at you, every time he touched you.”

“No,” Gabriel blurted.  “ _No._   The whole thing was a lie, Felicity, don’t you see?”

Felicity frowned, pretty brow wrinkling.  “What do you mean?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” Gabriel said, with a sinking sense of inevitability. “I haven’t had one in over a year. Sam came along as a favor to me, so Mother wouldn’t nag and because you were insisting on me bringing a plus one. He agreed to play the role because…it doesn’t matter why.  We really are neighbors, but we were never together.”

Felicity was staring at him.

“There,” Gabriel said.  “Now you know the truth. None of it was real. He’s just…a really good actor.”

Felicity was silent a moment longer and then her shoulders began to shake. A giggle slipped out and she pressed a hand to her mouth, eyes dancing as the laughter racked her frame.

“It’s not funny!” Gabriel said, sitting up in outrage.

“Oh honey, it’s _hilarious,_ ” Felicity managed between fits of giggles.

Gabriel glared at her.

Felicity just flapped a weak hand and went off into another gale of hilarity.

“I changed my mind,” Gabriel announced.  “I’m actually sorry I met you at all.”

Felicity hiccupped and caught her breath, wiping her streaming eyes. She leaned forward and caught Gabriel’s gaze.

“Gabe…I knew by breakfast the first morning.”

Gabriel’s mouth fell open as she continued.  “I suspected when he kissed you on the couch and you looked like a deer in the headlights, so I started watching you both.  You’d jump when he touched you.  You watched him when he wasn’t looking, with this mixture of awe and disbelief, like you couldn’t believe he was here, that you got to touch him.”

Gabriel closed his mouth with a snap.  “You _knew?_   Did…did Michael?  Did _everyone?”_ Oh God, his humiliation was complete, this was how he would die, of sheer horror and embarrassment.

“ _No_ ,” Felicity said. “I didn’t even tell Michael, okay? It was your business. But that’s why I can say with certainty that he _does_ feel the same way about you.”

Gabriel shook his head as hope welled within him.  “No,” he said finally.  “No, it’s…I can’t believe it.”

“Of course you can’t,” Felicity said, exasperated.  “You’re going to be on your deathbed asking Sam dying in the bed next to you if he’s _sure_ he really likes you, that he’s not going to change his mind!”

Gabriel reared back, offended, and Felicity raised an eyebrow.

“Tell me it’s not accurate.”

Gabriel bit his lip and didn’t argue, and Felicity patted his knee.

“In the morning, you’re going to go home and get your Sam back, okay?”

“I can’t,” Gabriel whispered.  “After what I did to him in front of everyone…he’ll never speak to me again.”

“I doubt that that’s true,” Felicity said.  “You hurt him, yes.  But that young man has the biggest heart.  I have a feeling he’ll forgive you, if you figure out how to apologize right.”

Gabriel stared at her and finally leaned forward to wrap his arms around her. “Thank you,” he mumbled against her wedding dress.  “I’m sorry for making you miss your own party.”

“Please,” Felicity said, rubbing his back.  “A chance to escape creepy Uncle Fred trying to pinch my ass? I should be _thanking_ you!”

Gabriel couldn’t help a watery smile at that as he pulled back.

“Tomorrow,” Felicity said.  “Tomorrow you’re going to go home, you’re going to apologize, and you’re going to do this right, okay?”

Gabriel took a deep breath and nodded.  “What if…what if he _doesn’t_ feel the same way though?” he said.

“He will,” Felicity said firmly.  “But if he doesn’t, well…it’ll hurt, Gabe, but you’ll know you tried. And that’s all anyone can ever say – that they tried.”

“My brother really _doesn’t_ deserve you,” Gabriel told her, and Felicity laughed as she stood up.

“Get some rest.  You have a long drive ahead of you tomorrow.  Oh, and thank you for the pot rack; I love it.  It's going to be perfect in our kitchen.”

Gabriel was asleep before the door shut behind her.


	9. Chapter 9

When Gabriel woke up, he lay still for a moment, processing his surroundings. He was alone in bed, all evidence of Sam removed from the room.  Gabriel closed his eyes as yesterday’s events rushed back to him. Watching Sam and Anna in the garden. Breaking up with Sam publicly. Snarling at Anna at the reception, Felicity bringing him back up to his room and talking to him.

Rolling over, Gabriel pressed his face into the pillow with a muffled moan. She’d known the entire damn time, the minx! 

He shoved his arms under the pillow, inhaling the scent of crisp cotton and Sam’s shampoo. His fingers brushed the edge of what felt like paper, and Gabriel sat up, tossing the pillow aside.

A folded note lay where the pillow had been.  Gabriel swallowed the lump in his throat and reached for it with shaking hands, unfolding it carefully.

 _Gabriel,_ it read in Sam’s graceful handwriting, _I don’t know what to say.  I don’t understand. ~~I thought~~ I’m sorry.  By the time you get home, I’ll be completely moved out. I’ll stay with a friend until I can get another place, but I won’t subject you to bumping into me in the hall. _

Gabriel covered his mouth.  _No._ Underneath Sam’s looping signature, there were three more words in tiny script, scribbled out fiercely, but Gabriel held the paper up to the morning sunlight, squinting, and could just make out what it had said.

_I’ll miss you._

Gabriel nearly fell off the bed for the second time in twenty-four hours in his rush to get dressed.  He was shimmying into his jeans, dragging them up over his hipbones to button them and frantically yanking a shirt on over his head when Felicity knocked on the door and put her head in.

“I heard movement,” she began, and her forehead wrinkled. “What…what are you doing?”

“I have to get to the airport,” Gabriel panted as he shoved his shoes on. “I have to go, Liss, I have to go _now._ ”

Felicity’s eyes widened.  “What happened?”

Gabriel thrust the note at her and spun to grab his wallet off the nightstand.

“He’s moving _out?_ ” Felicity said.

“Yes,” Gabriel said, “so please can you get out of my way?”  He tried to dodge around her and Felicity caught his arm.

“I’ll drive you,” she said, and Gabriel sagged a little with relief.

They pounded down the stairs and piled into Felicity’s BMW.  Gabriel buckled and sat tensely as Felicity poured on the gas to get them into town as quickly as possible.

“What about your car?” she asked, about halfway there.

Gabriel started, pulled from his endlessly circling thoughts.  “I…I don’t know.  It’s not important.  I don’t know any of Sam’s friends.  If I don’t get back before he leaves, I may never find him again.”

Felicity patted his knee.  “We’ll get you there.” She sped up a little, passing a slow driver, and Gabriel subsided back into his worries.

She pulled up in front of the airport and Gabriel scrambled out and ran for the ticket counter while she parked.  By the time Felicity made it inside the building, Gabriel was clutching his ticket with white knuckles.

“Leaves in half an hour,” he said.  “I have to go _now._ ”

“Go,” Felicity said, yanking him into a hug.  “Go get your Sam.”

“What if he…”

“He _won’t,”_ Felicity said, grabbing his face and forcing Gabriel to look into her eyes.  “Gabe, he won’t.  Apologize right, and he’ll forgive you, I know he will.”

Gabriel took a deep breath and nodded, and Felicity pulled him down for a kiss. “Now go,” she said, releasing him and giving him a quick shove toward the gate.  “Call me after, okay?”

Gabriel flung her a grateful glance and ran for his flight.

He spent the entire trip a complete ball of nerves, jiggling his knee absently as he stared out the window and tried to come up with a plan.

By the time the plane had landed, Gabriel had a rough idea what he was going to do, and he was on his phone the second the Fasten Seatbelts sign blinked off.

“Benny, you remember that favor you owe me?  Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.  I need your help, man.  Are you free?”

He explained what he had in mind and told Benny where to meet him as he raced up the gangplank and through the terminal to hail the first cab he could find.

 

Benny pulled his truck into the parking lot behind Gabriel’s building and cocked an eyebrow at Gabriel.  There was a moving van parked in the spot next to them, but no one was in sight.

Gabriel was sitting utterly still, suddenly frozen with terror. “I can’t do this,” he said through numb lips.  “I can’t…Benny, I can’t…I think I’m gonna throw up.”

Benny’s large hand settled on his shoulder.  “Breathe, _cher,_ ” he rumbled. “You come this far, what’s a few more feet?”

“What if he doesn’t like it?” Gabriel asked.  “What if he says no?  What if he hates me now?  What if he laughs in my face?”

Benny was grinning at him, sympathy all over his sunny face.  “He won’t laugh,” he assured him.  “C’mon now, let’s do this.”

It was a little after noon, and no one was around as Gabriel and Benny climbed the stairs, lugging their heavy load between them.

Gabriel’s breath was coming faster when they stopped in front of Sam’s door, and it wasn’t from exertion.  He thought maybe he was going to pass out, and jumped when Benny touched his arm.

“Need me to stay?” the big man asked.

Gabriel shook his head, breath coming in short puffs.  “Maybe he’s not home,” he suggested.

“Let’s find out,” Benny said, and rapped on Sam’s door.

Gabriel’s eyes widened and he lunged to stop him but it was too late. He could hear footsteps from inside and Benny was already winking at him and retreating down the hall out of sight. Gabriel turned tail and ran, getting to his own apartment just in time.

When Sam opened the door, Gabriel was peeking out his own door, a front row seat for the way Sam’s mouth fell open at the sight of the giant hummingbird sitting on his welcome mat.

Sam sank to his knees in front of the glass and metal sculpture, running a reverent finger over its long beak before picking up the note that was hung around its neck.

Gabriel had used the same piece of paper Sam had written his note on, and it contained only one sentence.

_I feel about you the way you feel about this hummingbird._

Gabriel couldn’t breathe as he stepped out into the hallway and Sam’s eyes came up to meet his.

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel said in a rush.  “I’m so sorry, I’m not asking you to forgive me because I’ll understand if you can’t, but Sam, I acted like an asshole and I’m so sorry.  The…hummingbird…it can’t make up for how I behaved, but you need to know…” He stopped to gulp in air as Sam slowly unfolded and rose to his feet, eyes fixed on him.

“You need to know that it was real for me,” Gabriel blurted.  “I wasn’t…I wasn’t acting, when I kissed you, when I touched you. It was real, and I’m so sorry, I never meant to fall in love with you -”

He broke off as Sam stepped around the sculpture and closed the distance between them in several long strides.  And then Sam’s hands were on his face and their lips were touching and Gabriel sobbed shakily against Sam’s mouth even as he kissed him back desperately, arms twining around Sam’s neck.

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel babbled between kisses.  “So sorry, Sam, I’m so sorry, please can you forgive me…”

Sam shut him up with another kiss, grabbing Gabriel’s waist and lifting him so that Gabriel could lock his legs around Sam’s hips.  He still hadn’t said anything but his body was speaking volumes, kissing Gabriel as though he couldn’t get enough, licking inside his mouth and devouring him by degrees.

When they finally broke for air, Sam rested his face against Gabriel’s chest. His shoulders shook once, and he looked up, tears in his eyes.

“It was only ever you,” he whispered.

Gabriel couldn’t see through the tears in his own eyes.  “I know that now,” he managed.  “I just have a hard time believing anyone would choose _me_ over my sister.  She’s everything I’m…not.”

“Which is why I don’t want her,” Sam said.  He stepped inside Gabriel’s apartment and kicked the door shut behind him, still supporting Gabriel’s weight.  He hadn’t taken his eyes off Gabriel’s face.  “I want _you,_ Gabe. Have from the beginning. I don’t care how long it takes, I’ll prove that to you.”

“I’m starting to believe you,” Gabriel said.  He was running his hands up and down Sam’s shoulders, still not wholly convinced that he wasn’t dreaming.

Sam was carrying him through the apartment, heading for Gabriel’s bedroom with unerring accuracy.

“Sam, what are you doing?” Gabriel asked as Sam skirted the chair in the middle of the living room.

Sam smiled up at him.  “I’m taking you to bed, Gabriel Novak,” he said, and the infinite gentleness in his tone made fresh tears spring to Gabriel’s eyes.  “I’m going to show you just how gorgeous you are,” Sam continued, “and I’m going to make love to you until you accept it.  Okay?”

Gabriel swallowed hard and nodded.

Sam huffed a soft laugh and fumbled for the bedroom door, growling under his breath as it stuck.  Gabriel reached behind him and whacked the frame and the door sprang open.

“You have to know how to talk its language,” Gabriel said as Sam carried him inside and set him on the bed.

“I’d rather speak _your_ language,” Sam said, and then he was tugging Gabriel’s shirt up and over his head and fumbling at his belt buckle.

Gabriel covered his stomach as Sam stripped him bare, biting his lip. Sam’s eyes softened.

“You really don’t see it, do you?” he asked.

Gabriel shook his head wordlessly.

Sam stood up and pulled his own clothes off, not once taking his gaze from Gabriel where he lay.  When he was naked, he crawled back on the bed, bracing himself on his elbows over Gabriel’s body.

Sam lowered his head until their lips were almost touching, his warm breath ghosting over Gabriel’s cheek and making him shiver.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured, and kissed him again.

Gabriel kissed back willingly, but when he tried to pull Sam closer, Sam shook his head and scooted backwards.  Gabriel made a protesting noise and Sam smiled up at him.

“You see this?” he asked, indicating the livid bruises he’d sucked into Gabriel’s stomach two nights before.  “You think I would’ve done that if I didn’t love every inch of you?  You’re _gorgeous,_ Gabriel. I look at you and I see this beautiful man who has no idea how incredible he is.  I want to fix that, Gabe.  I want you to see yourself the way I see you.”

Sam lowered his head and kissed one of the marks, the soft press of his lips making Gabriel suck in a breath.  Sam moved on to another mark and kissed that one too, working his way across Gabriel’s stomach until he’d touched and caressed every inch of the small belly roll that Gabriel hated so much.

“I want you,” Sam whispered, raising his head and looking up Gabriel’s body. His eyes were hot, his erection pressing against Gabriel’s leg, and Gabriel swallowed hard and nodded, his own cock filling and thickening as Sam’s hands began to rove.

“God, look at you,” Sam was murmuring as he explored, long fingers finding a nipple and pinching it lightly into a peak.  “Remember the night at the bar?”

Gabriel struggled to regain his scattered wits.  “Not…likely to forget that,” he gasped as Sam moved over to his other nipple and dropped his head to suck on it.  “Ah, Jesus,” he groaned, sliding his hand into Sam’s hair.

“After the body shots,” Sam said when he lifted his head, “when we got back to the hotel? I jerked off thinking about you under me, the noises you made, what it would be like to pin you down for real, to see your eyes roll back in your head while I fucked you.”

Gabriel stuffed his wrist into his mouth to stifle his whimper, but from the amusement in Sam’s eyes, he wasn’t successful.

When he was finally able to speak, he moved his hand and met Sam’s gaze. “I did too,” he admitted. “Jerked off, I mean. Did a lot of that this trip, actually. I just…wanted you so _much_ and I swear you were going out of your way to drive me out of my mind.”

Sam’s lips twitched.  “Maybe I was,” he said, and kissed Gabriel’s breastbone.  “Maybe I wanted to force a reaction from you one way or the other.” He glanced up. “Do you have…supplies? I don’t want to run back to my place buckass naked.”

Gabriel snorted a startled laugh and pointed at his bedside table. Sam reached out one long arm and pulled the drawer open, coming up with a bottle of lube and a condom.

“Perfect,” he said.  “I’m going to fuck you now, okay?”

“Yes please,” Gabriel breathed, and Sam laughed and kissed him before pulling away to settle between Gabriel’s splayed legs.

“Breathe,” he advised, and set to work. 

Gabriel lost track of time as Sam opened him gently, scissoring his fingers until Gabriel was panting and begging, sweat sheening on his skin.

“Please,” he sobbed, clutching his hair, “please Sam, I’m ready. Need you.”

“Yeah,” Sam murmured, and his voice was _wrecked._ “Yeah, Gabe, okay.” He got to his knees and shuffled into position, rolling the condom into place and slicking himself in several swift motions.

Then his cock was at Gabriel’s entrance, pressing slowly inside, and Gabriel sucked in a whooping gasp as his body stretched to accommodate Sam’s girth.

Sam paused, muscles trembling with the effort of staying still. “Okay, baby?” he whispered.

Gabriel clutched blindly at his arms, urging him deeper, and Sam obeyed, sinking in until he was buried to the hilt.  He lowered himself to his elbows, pressing his forehead against Gabriel’s and dragging in a shaky breath as Gabriel rode out the burn and stretch until it began to fade.

Finally, Gabriel sighed and pulled on Sam’s shoulders.  “Come on,” he managed.  “Fuck me, Sam.  _Please._ ”

Sam groaned and obeyed, pulling almost all the way out before sliding back in. He shifted Gabriel’s body, tilting him forward just a little, and began to hit his prostate on every second or third thrust.

Sparks were igniting behind Gabriel’s eyes, his orgasm already swelling beneath his skin, breath hitching in his chest every time Sam’s cock slammed home.

He writhed, desperate, and reached between them to grasp his cock. Sam swatted his hand away with a growl. “That’s mine,” he said, and before he could even wrap his fist around it, Gabriel was arching his back and coming untouched on a shaky moan.

Sam sucked in his breath and fucked Gabriel through it until Gabriel collapsed back to the bed, spent and trembling.  Then he was pulling out and Gabriel found himself flipped to his stomach before he could react, Sam lining up and shoving back inside Gabriel’s heat immediately.

The taller man pounded into him hard and Gabriel was helpless to do anything but take it, groaning encouragement as Sam gripped his hips hard enough to bruise. His thrusts were becoming erratic and Gabriel shoved weakly back against him, his vision fuzzing around the edges with the force of Sam’s movements.

It was less than a minute before Sam’s hands tightened to the point of pain and Gabriel felt his cock swelling with release inside him as Sam folded forward with a choked off groan, collapsing on top of Gabriel’s limp form.

They lay like that for several minutes, Sam’s erection slowly softening inside Gabriel’s body, a sated, tangled heap of sweaty limbs.  Sam was draped across Gabriel’s back, his face pressed to Gabriel’s shoulder blade.

Finally he stirred and sighed, pulling out slowly.  Gabriel whined in protest, but Sam wasn’t going far.  He peeled off the condom and grabbed some tissues from the nightstand, cleaning them both up with quick, gentle swipes.

Gabriel sighed, his eyes drifting shut.  Sam curled up behind him, pulling him into his arms.

“You okay?” he whispered into Gabriel’s hair.

Gabriel nodded.  “Thank you,” he slurred.

Sam’s arm tightened.  “Thank _you,_ ” he said, and then sat up abruptly, leaving Gabriel’s back exposed to the cool air of the room.  “The hummingbird!” Sam said.  “I left it in the hallway!”

“Leave it,” Gabriel mumbled, groping for Sam’s arm to pull him back down. “It’ll keep.”

“But what if someone steals it?” Sam said.

“I’ll make you another one,” Gabriel said.  He found Sam’s wrist and tugged.  Sam leaned down, but only to kiss him on the cheek. 

“This one has sentimental value,” Sam murmured.  “I’ll be right back.”

He rolled off the bed and Gabriel listened to him getting dressed, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the afterglow. 

He was almost asleep when Sam slid back into the bed behind him.

“’Zit safe?” he roused enough to say.

“Yeah,” Sam said.  “It’s safe. Go back to sleep.”

Gabriel sighed contentedly and obeyed, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus concludes another wild ride, my lovelies! Find me on [Tumblr](http://greymichaela.tumblr.com) for the 25 days of Christmas Sabriel that I'm starting tomorrow!
> 
> Thanks to [Aaliya](http://wordssometimesfail.tumblr.com) and [Cee](http://nahemaraxe.tumblr.com) for their stellar beta-ing, as always.


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